Outshine your Competition

Think back over the last week: when you bought your petrol or groceries, collected your dry cleaning or dropped in to pick up a takeaway, how were you treated? Did you feel appreciated, important? Did you feel good afterwards? Was it a pleasant, warm experience?

Research tells us (but we know anyway) that customers love to feel welcome, noticed, appreciated, respected. Customers will invariably choose companies who make them feel good – even if they have to pay more for their products or services. The question you might ask of your business today is, “How exactly do we make our customers feel welcome, noticed, appreciated, respected”? Today. Everyday. Everytime. It is simple…but it’s not easy.

You can make a customer a friend or an enemy for life in just a few minutes. Every moment of customer contact is important and adds to – or takes away from – the reputation of your company. So think about how you can improve their experience and give people a greater sense of being appreciated? How can you add to their day?

If you can connect to these emotional anchors, you will be building on bedrock as you will resonate with your customers on an emotional, meaningful level. Remember

• First impressions are moments of truth for customers
• Customers always appreciate eye contact and a friendly smile or greeting
• When a customer likes you he is much more likely to return
• Customers  like to connect, it’s what makes us human
• No customers = no business

Everyone in business should be well-trained in the best ways to provide excellent customer friendly service. It’s the gatekeepers (frontline staff) who will determine how your customers view you – make sure they’re helping, not harming your business reputation.