I’m writing this blog as my dad drives me to Escanaba to get veneers placed by my dear friend and BLM client, Dr. Paul Jacobs.
When you’re a customer of Jacobs Smile Center, you know exactly what you’re going to get. A business owner with incredibly high expectations, with the kind of staff who feels appreciated and valued as employees. Customers tell their friends because referrals are their number one form of advertising and they have a reputation no one can compete with as they always do the right thing.
Can people say the same about your business?
Do you roll out the red carpet? Does your staff give your customers or guests a 5-star service 100% of the time?
The personal experience factor is more important now then it ever has been. If you don’t believe me, visit Disney World post-11-week shut down, and you’ll change your mind.
We have all known this since the 1950s; on average unhappy Customers tell ten people about their negative experience versus Happy Customers on average tell four. The only thing that has changed here is that an unhappy customer can now take their unhappiness to the keyboard.
You’re thinking… “I better not piss anyone off!” You’re right, especially since we live in a land of keyboard warriors, Google, Yelp, and Facebook reviews.
Here are some tips to ensure that the customers leaving your store, practice, or business are happy:
1. Be the best place to work FIRST. When you’re the best place to work, you’ll quickly become the best place to buy
2. Handwritten thank you notes are everything. Require your team to send a thank you with every single purchase over a certain dollar amount
3. Send a letter, signed by the owner to every new customer, every single month. Could you bring them back in with an offer? This customer is just getting to know you, WOW them now.
4. Stand behind what you sell. Make your manufacturers stand behind it too. If they don’t, find new vendors.
5. Quality control your business every single day. If you don’t have the highest standards and expectations for your business and employees, who will?
So let me ask you this, do your customers know what to expect from you? Does your staff? Are you humble enough to look at your business in the mirror and say, “Hey, we have some work to do?”
Last week Jackie reminded us in her blog that there are 5 months left of 2020. We can either dig in rising from the ashes of a softer retail climate or take our ball and go home.
Let’s rise BLM customers, staff, and family. Let’s freaking rise!
Keep swimming,
Kendall