3.5 Things You Want Your Customers To Know About Your Business
Perception Lab, Inc.
The secure way to grow your business™
Seems during the holidays that the ads, print or broadcast, were all about price and to buy NOW. What pressure. Retail results for Q4 it turns out, generally, were pretty poor overall. Lots of discounting and still stuff didn't move out the door. "Why?" you ask? I suspect that the customers just did not see the value. Nope. Nooooooooo value means noooooooo sale. Simple. So how does one solve this? Or prevent its reoccurrence? That's the question you should be asking yourself. So here you go: 3.5 things your customers should absolutely know about your business and the value you bring.
1. "No matter what you bought, you can bring it back and get your money." Sounds so simple. Yet so few businesses will do this. This is a huge competitive edge for those selling a tangible -- shoes, cars, boats, pants, watches, eye glasses. In some cases, it is as if a congressional enquiry is necessary to validate the return request even when the customer is standing right there with the company's bag, company's logo, receipt and the goods! Statistically, if you serve this sort of customer very well, this customer will go out and positively promote your business five times more so than some one who came through your business and had zero problems. Think about it. Five times the positive PR.
2. "Not only are we licensed and bonded, we are certified." If you can, say something such as, "Each year each of our employees receives over 25 hours in customer care and project management training." Wow! Imagine that. What if your CPA told you that? You have to realize that your clients assume you are competent when they come to you; it's when the service goes bad (aka you screw it up) that they begin to doubt your credibility. No surprise there. However, if you have given the clients exposure to the effort you put in to keeping your team up to date and with a great bed-side manner, chances are when things go wrong (and they will), the customer will probably cut you some slack and work with you more easily. Make it known the effort you put into keeping a top notch team.
--------------
Think About This: What are you doing about those customers who used to buy from you and no longer do?
--------------
3. "Each week we call 100% of our customers and say three things: (a) Thank you, (b) Is everything okay? (c) We are here for you and please contact us anytime." You do call your customers, right? If you are like most businesses in the US, you probably contact just a few, if any. How about calling 50%? 75%? How about giving a cash bonus to the employee who will call even more? Make a contest out of it, collect the results and share with the team to motivate and develop ways of better leveraging the best of the feedback, and ways to minimize the distractions. That's leadership. Watch your team follow and your customer loyalty explode.
3.5 "Our management team are committed to you, your family and our community. If for any reason you feel that you need to contact us, please feel free to drop by, call or write directly to our CEO (insert your CEO's name and direct line/address)." Okay, so if you don't follow through on this, it will blow up in your face. Ouch. But for those of you who do, and do so visibly, your clients will feel more secure in dealing with you because there is a pipe to the top person in your organization.
What is your claim to fame? 93% of our business comes from referral. That's because our clients know we deliver great results which in turn generate great results.
About Us
The Perception Lab has been described as a "personal trainer" for small businesses. Perception Lab is a full-service growth consultancy working execlusively with small to medium sized businesses throughout the US. Since 2001 Perception Lab has helped businesses grow gross income by as much as 66% within a few months using qualitative assessment tools and coaching services. Founded by Mark Ware, a professional services and marketing expert, the Perception Lab provides the critical services businesses need at a price and terms they can afford. Contact: 786.399.6571 or email us by clicking here.
™© 2006 All Rights Reserved Perception Lab, Inc.
The secure way to grow your business™
Seems during the holidays that the ads, print or broadcast, were all about price and to buy NOW. What pressure. Retail results for Q4 it turns out, generally, were pretty poor overall. Lots of discounting and still stuff didn't move out the door. "Why?" you ask? I suspect that the customers just did not see the value. Nope. Nooooooooo value means noooooooo sale. Simple. So how does one solve this? Or prevent its reoccurrence? That's the question you should be asking yourself. So here you go: 3.5 things your customers should absolutely know about your business and the value you bring.
1. "No matter what you bought, you can bring it back and get your money." Sounds so simple. Yet so few businesses will do this. This is a huge competitive edge for those selling a tangible -- shoes, cars, boats, pants, watches, eye glasses. In some cases, it is as if a congressional enquiry is necessary to validate the return request even when the customer is standing right there with the company's bag, company's logo, receipt and the goods! Statistically, if you serve this sort of customer very well, this customer will go out and positively promote your business five times more so than some one who came through your business and had zero problems. Think about it. Five times the positive PR.
2. "Not only are we licensed and bonded, we are
--------------
Think About This: What are you doing about those customers who used to buy from you and no longer do?
--------------
3. "Each week we call 100% of our customers and say three things: (a) Thank you, (b) Is everything okay? (c) We are here for you and please contact us anytime." You do call your customers, right? If you are like most businesses in the US, you probably contact just a few, if any. How about calling 50%? 75%? How about giving a cash bonus to the employee who will call even more? Make a contest out of it, collect the results and share with the team to motivate and develop ways of better leveraging the best of the feedback, and ways to minimize the distractions. That's leadership. Watch your team follow and your customer loyalty explode.
3.5 "Our management team are committed to you, your family and our community. If for any reason you feel that you need to contact us, please feel free to drop by, call or write directly to our CEO (insert your CEO's name and direct line/address)." Okay, so if you don't follow through on this, it will blow up in your face. Ouch. But for those of you who do, and do so visibly, your clients will feel more secure in dealing with you because there is a pipe to the top person in your organization.
What is your claim to fame? 93% of our business comes from referral. That's because our clients know we deliver great results which in turn generate great results.
About Us
The Perception Lab has been described as a "personal trainer" for small businesses. Perception Lab is a full-service growth consultancy working execlusively with small to medium sized businesses throughout the US. Since 2001 Perception Lab has helped businesses grow gross income by as much as 66% within a few months using qualitative assessment tools and coaching services. Founded by Mark Ware, a professional services and marketing expert, the Perception Lab provides the critical services businesses need at a price and terms they can afford. Contact: 786.399.6571 or email us by clicking here.
™© 2006 All Rights Reserved Perception Lab, Inc.
posted by Mark Stephen Ware @ 12:23 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home