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See You Next Time . . . . !!
How often have you heard a sales or service person say as a farewell, "See you next time!" Why is it that we assume a customer is going to come back or is that just another standard line service/sales people use without any thought or intent?
CUSTOMER LOYALTY
So what is customer loyalty and how do we achieve it? A lot of us assume that customers will become loyal if they receive service or products that satisfy their needs. How wrong we are!!! Customers will not become loyal unless they have an experience that makes it different from the rest. As a keynote speaker and trainer, I have watched businesses over the years spend fortunes on cutting edge marketing and promotional strategies, fit-outs that look like 5 star hotels, websites that would win an Academy Award if they were a movie, advertising that would stop you in your tracks and yet when the customer crosses the threshold of their business they might as well have burnt the money they have spent for all the good it did in the service stakes. I cannot fathom why anyone would spend all of this money only to have a hit and miss philosophy with their service team.
BUILDING LOYALTY
Have a reward system for customers who frequent your business or club. I remember buying my boys school shoes and the salesperson asked if I had a frequent purchase card. I normally say no but they way she asked I thought why not! "If you buy 8 pairs of shoes you get the 9th pair free!" It didn't take long to rack up the 7 pairs so on the last visit I bought the extra pair to get my free 9th pair! I got an extra pair of shoes, they got an extra sale and I feel great about the fact that they gave something back. Have a look at how you can reward your customers for sticking with you instead of going down the road.
Encourage your staff to remember the regulars and train them to say comments that show they remember "Great to see you again Mr. Jones!" "Out for a fun night Mrs. Stevens?" etc, etc. I love my local coffee shop . . . (notice how I said "my" local - now that's ownership!!) whenever I walk in the beautiful waitress greets me so warmly I feel like a good friend. I remember one year a video chain sent me a birthday card with a free video voucher - my own family didn't even send me a card but hey my local video store remembered!!!
It doesn't take a lot to build loyalty and retain your customers but we do have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make them want to come back. I look at some of the carpet in some clubs and thinks, wow this was obviously bought based a budget because it makes you dizzy just looking at it!! Have a brain storming session or a think tank with your team and ask them their ideas for keeping customers happy and returning. It's not the wow factor experiences that are as important as the ability to create a great experience every single time. Make "BEST" the benchmark rather than "GOOD".
Inspire your team to offer the best service possible by acknowledging those who offer consistent exceptional service. Highlight letters from customers or comments and share these with the entire team so that we can all learn from each other.
TRAINING
I always worry when I talk about training in articles because I don't want you to think that I am saying this purely because I am a trainer. I know for a fact that if your team is trained on a regular and consistent basis in customer service and sales skills, you will develop a service culture that becomes habitual. Where attention goes energy flows! If you keep reinforcing the good stuff then you get more of it. There is no point reminding people of all thing wrongs things they are doing - tell them the right way!
A FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD DOWN (Chinese proberb)
The last area I want to cover is the effect we have on our business . . . a fish really does rot from the head down! When I deliver a keynote presentation at a conference, I can measure in an instant what reception I will get from the audience simply by meeting the CEO or MD. If they are passionate and focused and have a great sense of respect for their employees and customers, I know I will receive a wonderful reception. Apples don't fall far from the tree!! I was recently in Mooloolabah doing a keynote for "The Surf Club" and I was thrilled by the absolute passion and commitment of the team. As the Club Manager, Michael Carter lives and breathes customer service. He respects his team, his customers and his role - and it shows. I felt overwhelmed when I left and I have heard that the team is still jumping around after the visit. Is that because of me - I would love to say yes, but it is because Michael carries it through, he walks the talk. If you want inspired staff then be inspiring! Our people will only stretch as far as we stretch - we become the glass ceiling for our own business so I beg you to get back on that floor and remember what it was like to serve the front line customer. Remember why it is important to have an outstanding team and remember what got you here in the first place - being able to give your customers an experience that kept bringing them back.
