Subscribe to RSS FeedCherish your customers
Too often, customers are treated like they don’t matter. Whether it is standing in line, waiting on hold, or being told to get lost. Successful companies seem to forget how important each and every customer is in maintaining a solid reputation, and doing business. Not every relationship is perfect, but like most things, they sooner or later come to an end. It can happen due to a myriad of reasons; should poor service be one of them?
We try to do our best with the resources and time we have available. Things sometimes don’t always work out, but we try hard to make our customers happy. We consider them as investors in our business, wanting us to succeed by means of helping them.
Companies get so overwhelmed with the act of being in business that they end up treating customers like cattle. Whether through acquisition, retention, or cancellation, they bring them in one door, and kick them out the other. What happened? When did the optimization of profit supersede living up to your promises, or respecting the very same people that keep you in business? Throughout all of human history, one civilization has always thrived in the face of the spite of another. Why should the manner in which companies treat customers be any other way?
The first excuse that always comes to mind is the expense required to maintain a quality relationship with a customer; it is just too expensive. However, this all depends on how you decide to position your product. We all know people are willing to pay more if they get more. Starbucks proved it. A fifty-cent cup of coffee used to be sufficient, until the product, experience, and service was presented in a better package. The investment was made in the relationship with the customers, and the payoff was huge.
Malcolm Gladwell’s speech at the TED conference summarized it well: “People aspire to a better mustard.” What he meant was, before Grey Pupon became widely available to supermarkets, there were only two types of mustard—French’s and Gold’s —and they were both yellow mustards. Then, a new, more expensive variety with a French-sounding name, sold a quality with a more complex taste. Although this mustard sold less, and was more expensive, it continued to succeed and capture a market share from the leaders. The examples follow a pattern. People pay more for products and services that are delivered with a story that makes the customer feel special. You don’t have to treat your customer poorly, you simply have to go the extra mile and live up to what you promise. If you can make your product a symbol of status and high quality then the added costs of delivering a superior experience will be met.
Consider this: When developing your next marketing strategy or campaign to generate business, see what would happen if you instead invest the time into improving the experience for the customers you currently retain. Offer them a compelling new product or service that they’ve been longing for, and provide incentive to recommend your products to others. It is much tougher to acquire a new customer than improve a relationship with the ones you already have. Consider exceeding the expectations of the satisfied, rather than investing in convincing someone new. I promise the support and advocacy of your current customers will increase sales, and ultimately the reputation of your brand.
Posted on Jul 09, 2008 by Kevin Milden
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