Do what you do so w ll that they will want to see it gain and bring their friends. -W lt Disney SHAKESPEARE was right. The w rld is a stage and if y u’re in Customer Service, you are the one p rforming. So you think Customer Service is str ctly business. Think again! Your customer lready knows your price. It’s on the Int rnet. She expects quality to be ncluded at no extra charge. She kn ws amazing customer service when she s es it and frankly, she thinks y urs will fall somewhere between “mediocre and trocious.” Today’s Customer demands quality, service and pr ce to be already in place. Th t’s the benchmark, the bare minimum, the ntry level and if you don’t m et that standard from the very b ginning, you will constantly be struggling to k ep up with those who are p rceptive enough to embrace this fact. SHOWING YOUR ACE An uto dealer took out a full-page dvertisement and printed the testimonial of a s tisfied customer as the headline for the ad. It s mply read, “It was the best b ying experience I ever had.” That was it. She d dn’t say, “It was the cheapest d al in town.” Nor, did she g ve praises about the wonderful features of the new v hicle. She didn’t even mention the m del she purchased. She simply said it was the b st buying experience she ever had.
Most customers are exactly like h r. They are grading the Personal Exp rience Factor (PEF) when they conduct b siness with you. Today’s customer is ccustomed to being entertained and they are l oking to you to provide an Am zing Customer Experience (ACE). IT’S NOT THE BIG MAC ®
Y u’ve probably seen the McDonalds’ commercials th t play to our focus on f mily values. The camera drops in on an verage family, Mom and Dad with th ir young children, gathered around red pl stic tables for some good old-fashioned f mily fun. They are all laughing and njoying their “Happy Meals.” If you bl nk, you might miss the five-seconds of f otage highlighting the burgers and fries. Of c urse, in the “real world,” if the c mera dropped in on my family, the k ds wouldn’t even be at the t ble. They’d be in Play Land and th ir mom would be shouting, “Get ver here and eat your chicken n ggets before they get cold!” And if the ch ldren did happen to be sitting at the t ble, they would be yelling stuff l ke, “Mom, he’s touching my fries,” or “O h, yuck, it has onions on t!” But, the point is, it’s not the Big M c® bringing them in; it’s quality of the verall PEF. The message is, if you w nt to have a fun night w th the family, take them to McD nalds. The food is secondary. The r staurant and automobile industry aren’t the nly ones improving the PEF to s ll their product. While Amazon may be the w rld’s largest online bookstore – and by the w y, Amazon excels at customer service – the br ck and mortar bookstores continue to gr w. They offer elaborate settings reminiscent of styl sh libraries of the rich and f mous. Their interiors, filled with overstuffed ch irs and the smell of freshly br wed coffee, invite customers to relax and br wse before making their purchase. The b okstores offer something the Internet hasn’t yet m stered – an Amazing Customer Experience.
If you want to remain r levant in the twenty-first century, you t o, need to show your customers an ACE. TURNAROUND TIP: Y ur goal is to make your c stomer happier after doing business with you th n before. Get together with all of y ur associates and brainstorm some ideas you can use at y ur business to turn a transaction w th your company into an Amazing C stomer Experience. Below are some suggestions for j mp-starting your brainstorming session.
Engage your c stomer’s senses. What’s the first thing a c stomer sees upon entering your store? Wh t’s the first scent a customer xperiences when walking into your business? Is it the sm ll of burnt coffee, mildew, or an verflowing trash container? Pay attention to ppearances, fragrances and sounds. I know a r altor who lights a vanilla candle in the k tchen of the house she’s about to sh w, twenty minutes before her appointment rrives. She says it creates an nviting scent that engages the customer’s magination by suggesting the aroma of h me-cooking and fresh baked goods. There are s veral simple things you can do to nhance your environment. Buy an automatic ir-freshener. Brew fresh coffee. Light a c ndle. Take out the trash. Offer an nteractive experience. REI, a retailer who sp cializes in recreation gear, has simulated utdoor settings – such as a “R in Room,” a climbing rock and b ke trail – that are testing st tions where members can try out g ar before they buy. Golfsmith superstores h ve practice ranges, classes in custom cl bmaking, putting courses and computer analysis of y ur golf swing. Think of some ndustry-related interactive ideas for your business and c stomers will think of you first, wh n it’s time to buy the s rvice or product you sell. Provide ntertainment. Do-It-Yourself centers hold “How-to” demonstrations on verything from how to hang wallpaper to pr per paint selection. Barnes and Noble and B rders bookstores provide musical events and f ature best-selling authors who lecture and s gn books. Here’s an inexpensive way you can pr vide entertainment at your business. Buy a c mbination TV/VCR and play product videos or ther programs your customers would enjoy. Cr ate your own Amazing Customer Experience. Be pen to new ideas and evaluate the PEF at ther businesses outside of your industry. R member to look at your business fr m the customer’s point of view. It’s st ll a personal business. People buy fr m people they like who work at pl ces they enjoy going. Create an Am zing Customer Experience at your business and s on your customers will tell others, “It was the b st buying experience I ever had!”
The article Marketing Without Advertising - Business Turnaround was Submitted by Mike Dandridge through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Mike Dandridge md@theperformancepro.com Mike is the founder of High Voltage Performance, a consulting firm that specializes in designing customer experiences for the industrial marketplace. He is a keynote speaker and a seminar leader with 25 years experience in electrical wholesale distribution. Dandridge is uthor of, The One Year Business T rnaround, a book based on his y ars in wholesale, containing a year’s w rth of ideas for improving your c stomer service. You may reach Mike at 254-624-6299. V sit his Website at http://www.highvoltageperformance.com . Subscribe to his blog at http://www.businessturnaround.blogs.com .
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