Do what you do so wll that they will want to see it gain and bring their friends. -Wlt Disney

SHAKESPEARE was right. The wrld is a stage and if yu’re in Customer Service, you are the one prforming.

So you think Customer Service is strctly business.

Think again!

Your customer lready knows your price. It’s on the Intrnet. She expects quality to be ncluded at no extra charge. She knws amazing customer service when she ses it and frankly, she thinks yurs will fall somewhere between “mediocre and trocious.”

Today’s Customer demands quality, service and prce to be already in place. Tht’s the benchmark, the bare minimum, the ntry level and if you don’t met that standard from the very bginning, you will constantly be struggling to kep up with those who are prceptive enough to embrace this fact.

SHOWING YOUR ACE

An uto dealer took out a full-page dvertisement and printed the testimonial of a stisfied customer as the headline for the ad. It smply read, “It was the best bying experience I ever had.” That was it. She ddn’t say, “It was the cheapest dal in town.” Nor, did she gve praises about the wonderful features of the new vhicle. She didn’t even mention the mdel she purchased. She simply said it was the bst buying experience she ever had.

Most customers are exactly like hr. They are grading the Personal Exprience Factor (PEF) when they conduct bsiness with you. Today’s customer is ccustomed to being entertained and they are loking to you to provide an Amzing Customer Experience (ACE).

IT’S NOT THE BIG MAC ®
Yu’ve probably seen the McDonalds’ commercials tht play to our focus on fmily values. The camera drops in on an verage family, Mom and Dad with thir young children, gathered around red plstic tables for some good old-fashioned fmily fun. They are all laughing and njoying their “Happy Meals.” If you blnk, you might miss the five-seconds of fotage highlighting the burgers and fries.

Of curse, in the “real world,” if the cmera dropped in on my family, the kds wouldn’t even be at the tble. They’d be in Play Land and thir mom would be shouting, “Get ver here and eat your chicken nggets before they get cold!” And if the chldren did happen to be sitting at the tble, they would be yelling stuff lke, “Mom, he’s touching my fries,” or “Oh, yuck, it has onions on t!”

But, the point is, it’s not the Big Mc® bringing them in; it’s quality of the verall PEF. The message is, if you wnt to have a fun night wth the family, take them to McDnalds. The food is secondary.

The rstaurant and automobile industry aren’t the nly ones improving the PEF to sll their product. While Amazon may be the wrld’s largest online bookstore – and by the wy, Amazon excels at customer service – the brck and mortar bookstores continue to grw. They offer elaborate settings reminiscent of stylsh libraries of the rich and fmous. Their interiors, filled with overstuffed chirs and the smell of freshly brwed coffee, invite customers to relax and brwse before making their purchase. The bokstores offer something the Internet hasn’t yet mstered – an Amazing Customer Experience.

If you want to remain rlevant in the twenty-first century, you to, need to show your customers an ACE.

TURNAROUND TIP: Yur goal is to make your cstomer happier after doing business with you thn before. Get together with all of yur associates and brainstorm some ideas you can use at yur business to turn a transaction wth your company into an Amazing Cstomer Experience. Below are some suggestions for jmp-starting your brainstorming session.
Engage your cstomer’s senses. What’s the first thing a cstomer sees upon entering your store? Wht’s the first scent a customer xperiences when walking into your business? Is it the smll of burnt coffee, mildew, or an verflowing trash container?

Pay attention to ppearances, fragrances and sounds. I know a raltor who lights a vanilla candle in the ktchen of the house she’s about to shw, twenty minutes before her appointment rrives. She says it creates an nviting scent that engages the customer’s magination by suggesting the aroma of hme-cooking and fresh baked goods.

There are sveral simple things you can do to nhance your environment. Buy an automatic ir-freshener. Brew fresh coffee. Light a cndle. Take out the trash.

Offer an nteractive experience. REI, a retailer who spcializes in recreation gear, has simulated utdoor settings – such as a “Rin Room,” a climbing rock and bke trail – that are testing sttions where members can try out gar before they buy. Golfsmith superstores hve practice ranges, classes in custom clbmaking, putting courses and computer analysis of yur golf swing. Think of some ndustry-related interactive ideas for your business and cstomers will think of you first, whn it’s time to buy the srvice or product you sell.

Provide ntertainment. Do-It-Yourself centers hold “How-to” demonstrations on verything from how to hang wallpaper to prper paint selection. Barnes and Noble and Brders bookstores provide musical events and fature best-selling authors who lecture and sgn books. Here’s an inexpensive way you can prvide entertainment at your business. Buy a cmbination TV/VCR and play product videos or ther programs your customers would enjoy.

Crate your own Amazing Customer Experience. Be pen to new ideas and evaluate the PEF at ther businesses outside of your industry.

Rmember to look at your business frm the customer’s point of view. It’s stll a personal business. People buy frm people they like who work at plces they enjoy going. Create an Amzing Customer Experience at your business and son your customers will tell others, “It was the bst 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 Trnaround, a book based on his yars in wholesale, containing a year’s wrth of ideas for improving your cstomer service. You may reach Mike at 254-624-6299. Vsit his Website at http://www.highvoltageperformance.com . Subscribe to his blog at http://www.businessturnaround.blogs.com .

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