This article was contributed by my friend and associate Randi Busse, a customer service guru! Randi is President of Workforce Development Group, a customer service coaching and training organization. Randi works with businesses to improve the customer experience and increase customer retention. She helps you turn your customers into Raving Fans! Contact her at randi@workdevgroup.com
7 Tips to Keep a Customer for Life
How hard is it to get a customer? Last time I was shopping at Wal-Mart, they didn’t have an aisle filled with them (well, actually, they did, but they weren’t for sale, they were shopping too!). Customers typically aren’t lined up outside your place of business waiting to do business with you. And your phones probably aren’t ringing off the hook with them calling to buy your products. If they are, you can stop reading now. However, if customers are important to your business, as they are to most, once you get them, you want to make sure you hold on to them, preferably for life.
Following these tips will put you on the path of “keeping customers for life!”
Tip #1 - Be enthusiastic! If you want to WOW your customer, the way to do it is with enthusiasm. Let them know you are happy to help them and happy that they have chosen to do business with you.
Tip #2 - Use your customer’s name. Dale Carnegie once said, “There is nothing sweeter than the sound of one’s own name.” Using the customer’s name shows you are interested in them.
Tip #3 - Smile. Even if you’re on the phone, and especially when you’re on the phone. A smile can actually be heard over the phone. You will sound friendly and interested in what the customer is saying.
Tip #4 - Listen. Pay attention to what they are saying. The customer should have your undivided attention the entire time they are on the phone with you, or in front of you in your business.
Tip #5 - Express empathy. Doing so let’s the customer know that you heard what they said and that you have a genuine interest in helping them.
Tip #6 - Ask them what else you can do to help them. Show interest in them and their needs.
Tip #7 - Thank your customers for calling. There are plenty of other companies that do what your company does. And yet this customer chose to do business with you. Let them know you appreciate them and their business.
Customers for life is not a myth. It can, and should, be your reality. By following the simple tips above, you can create customers for life and turn them into raving fans. And raving fans always tell other people about their experiences!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Psssst...The Recession is Over! (Pass it on)
Are you buying into what CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times and almost every other media outlet are sending your way? Are you buying into the gloom and doom? Are you seeing the Grim Reaper, with his scythe, walking a step behind you and your career? Or, are you looking for the positive signs that things are starting to improve? Are you observing that the turn seems to have started for many? Are you looking for, and finding, the abundance of opportunities out there just waiting for you? The choice is up to you!
Several years back a friend and business associate, Jeff Keller, wrote a book titled, "Attitude is Everything!" It's a great read and I highly recommend it but I do take exception with the title. Attitude isn't everything, but it sure means a lot! You see, things aren't always as they seem and the way we "view" the world around us, in great part, creates our everyday experiences. The way we look at things, and our attitude about them, actually creates our "reality."
Let's use my favorite networking group, American Business Associates (www.aba-ny.com) as an example. Every two weeks I meet with a group of fun, interesting and talented local businesspeople for the purpose of helping each other grow our businesses. We do this by getting to know and trust each other, sharing intelligence about who we know, what we're working on and what we need as is done in most networking groups. Somewhere between 18 and 30 people attend each meeting and we go around the room introducing ourselves, giving our brief commercial and often sharing what's happening for us currently. We refer each other business whenever we can.
The interesting thing, to me, is that out of this group, almost to a person they're saying that business is very good to great! It's not that they happen to be in businesses that thrive in a recession. (e.g. - auto repair or alcohol sales) It's not that they're more talented than you or me. (although most are extremely good at what they do) It's certainly not that they're lucky. No, to a person what sets them apart from much of the rest of the world is they have the attitude that business is good for them, they expect it to continue that way and they take the actions necessary to make sure it does so. Each of the people in this group has managed to keep a smile on their face, a laugh on their lips and a positive attitude that no matter what happens to the rest of the economy they will not only survive, they'll thrive!
As a professional speaker and sales trainer I'm the first to tell you that just having a positive attitude isn't enough. In fact, in most circumstances you can have all the positive attitude you want and it sometimes makes very little difference. Next time it's raining, walk outside with a very positive attitude that it's going to stop raining immediately and see where it gets you. Not very far, I suspect, unless you happen to be more connected than I am to the "Rain Gods." But try this on for size...It can be raining and you can choose to be upset, or even depressed, about it. Or, you can change your attitude to, "Wow...what a great day to sell! Lots of people will be in their offices open to speaking with me." It's always your choice and it always makes a difference. What we expect to see is what usually shows up for us. I attended a 5-day seminar in Southern California last week and, I promise you, we were shown in example after example that what we expect to see, and what we're thinking, actually create what shows up for us unless and until proven otherwise. If you expect more doom and gloom from the economy, you're likely to get more. If you believe we can expect more bad news financially, it's going to show up.
Am I saying that less-than-great stuff isn't happening every day? Nope. Some people are losing their jobs. Some are losing their homes. Some are struggling to stay "afloat" in a sea of debt. It's happening but it doesn't have to happen to you. Some people who've lost their jobs have started their own businesses and are prospering. Some have lost their homes and while they probably would prefer to still have their home, they're happy to be free from crushing mortgages. A universal law says that for each negative there's a positive. Sometimes you have to look hard to find it but the other choice is to bask in the muck as you sink deeply into it.
For those of you looking for technique from me ("But Jeff, how do I become better at setting appointments with decision makers? How do I shorten my sales cycle?" etc.) I still teach that stuff and there's more of that coming in future columns. But, unless you get your head (your attitude) on straight you can have every "trick" in the book at your fingertips and it won't make a bit of difference.
Spend five minutes (or more) each morning as soon as you wake up "creating" your attitude for the coming day. Visualize everything going your way...meeting prospects who are happy to see you...shaking their hands after they say, "Yes, I want to do business with you!" Physically put a smile on your face as soon as you realize that you've left sleepy time and the day has begun. I do, and most who know me would tell you I'm among the happiest, most positive people they know. It's a large part of who I am and any success I have. Does that mean everything goes my way every time? Nope, but I expect it to and suggest that a lot more does go my way because of my attitude and the expectation that things will continue to do so.
You, and your attitude, shape and create not only your every day experience but your overall success in sales and in life.
Go out and Make It Happen! And be sure to let the rest the people in your world in on the secret....the recession is OVER!
Several years back a friend and business associate, Jeff Keller, wrote a book titled, "Attitude is Everything!" It's a great read and I highly recommend it but I do take exception with the title. Attitude isn't everything, but it sure means a lot! You see, things aren't always as they seem and the way we "view" the world around us, in great part, creates our everyday experiences. The way we look at things, and our attitude about them, actually creates our "reality."
Let's use my favorite networking group, American Business Associates (www.aba-ny.com) as an example. Every two weeks I meet with a group of fun, interesting and talented local businesspeople for the purpose of helping each other grow our businesses. We do this by getting to know and trust each other, sharing intelligence about who we know, what we're working on and what we need as is done in most networking groups. Somewhere between 18 and 30 people attend each meeting and we go around the room introducing ourselves, giving our brief commercial and often sharing what's happening for us currently. We refer each other business whenever we can.
The interesting thing, to me, is that out of this group, almost to a person they're saying that business is very good to great! It's not that they happen to be in businesses that thrive in a recession. (e.g. - auto repair or alcohol sales) It's not that they're more talented than you or me. (although most are extremely good at what they do) It's certainly not that they're lucky. No, to a person what sets them apart from much of the rest of the world is they have the attitude that business is good for them, they expect it to continue that way and they take the actions necessary to make sure it does so. Each of the people in this group has managed to keep a smile on their face, a laugh on their lips and a positive attitude that no matter what happens to the rest of the economy they will not only survive, they'll thrive!
As a professional speaker and sales trainer I'm the first to tell you that just having a positive attitude isn't enough. In fact, in most circumstances you can have all the positive attitude you want and it sometimes makes very little difference. Next time it's raining, walk outside with a very positive attitude that it's going to stop raining immediately and see where it gets you. Not very far, I suspect, unless you happen to be more connected than I am to the "Rain Gods." But try this on for size...It can be raining and you can choose to be upset, or even depressed, about it. Or, you can change your attitude to, "Wow...what a great day to sell! Lots of people will be in their offices open to speaking with me." It's always your choice and it always makes a difference. What we expect to see is what usually shows up for us. I attended a 5-day seminar in Southern California last week and, I promise you, we were shown in example after example that what we expect to see, and what we're thinking, actually create what shows up for us unless and until proven otherwise. If you expect more doom and gloom from the economy, you're likely to get more. If you believe we can expect more bad news financially, it's going to show up.
Am I saying that less-than-great stuff isn't happening every day? Nope. Some people are losing their jobs. Some are losing their homes. Some are struggling to stay "afloat" in a sea of debt. It's happening but it doesn't have to happen to you. Some people who've lost their jobs have started their own businesses and are prospering. Some have lost their homes and while they probably would prefer to still have their home, they're happy to be free from crushing mortgages. A universal law says that for each negative there's a positive. Sometimes you have to look hard to find it but the other choice is to bask in the muck as you sink deeply into it.
For those of you looking for technique from me ("But Jeff, how do I become better at setting appointments with decision makers? How do I shorten my sales cycle?" etc.) I still teach that stuff and there's more of that coming in future columns. But, unless you get your head (your attitude) on straight you can have every "trick" in the book at your fingertips and it won't make a bit of difference.
Spend five minutes (or more) each morning as soon as you wake up "creating" your attitude for the coming day. Visualize everything going your way...meeting prospects who are happy to see you...shaking their hands after they say, "Yes, I want to do business with you!" Physically put a smile on your face as soon as you realize that you've left sleepy time and the day has begun. I do, and most who know me would tell you I'm among the happiest, most positive people they know. It's a large part of who I am and any success I have. Does that mean everything goes my way every time? Nope, but I expect it to and suggest that a lot more does go my way because of my attitude and the expectation that things will continue to do so.
You, and your attitude, shape and create not only your every day experience but your overall success in sales and in life.
Go out and Make It Happen! And be sure to let the rest the people in your world in on the secret....the recession is OVER!
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