Why Should I Spend my Hard Earned Money in Your Store?

The key to having a profitable store is to make it stand out for all the right reasons. You can keep your everyday pricing and perform this goal. Just be aggressive with ad pricing, plenty of special events to get a steady stream of customers in your store. Use superior customer service to WOW them and keep the customers coming back.

Keep Customers Happy: Show Them You Care

68% of customers who stopped doing business with a company did so for one reason: they felt like that company didn’t care about them. If you show your customers that you care, your company will shine. You might even attract some of your competitors’ customers! It’s really not hard to show customers that you care, but it takes consistent commitment. Here are five ideas that will get you started building a customer-focused business.

The Holidays Are Here

I use a credit card for many business purchases. Since I travel a lot, this means quite a bit of money is charged throughout the year. Therefore, I was pleased when my bank had a local hotel deliver a 'basket of goodies' to our home during the holidays. The card attached thanked us for our support, and looked forward to another year of providing beneficial service.

Make it Person-to-Person

Automation is essential for expanding and accelerating service in many industries. But when individual care or attention is required, customers need contact with real people. When human energy flows and connects, good things (can) get done.

Who's Answering Your Email?

Websites, e-mail and digital voice mail are changing the game in business. Some companies are taking the lead with great digital service like Computers.com and Amazon.com. Others are falling far behind. A friend of mine had a complaint about the service at a local hotel. He visited the hotel’s website and wrote to the 'feedback' e-mail address provided. One week later he got this reply:

For Just 30 Cents of Salad

Full-bodied communication with customers leads to understanding and delight. By contrast, sparse or misleading communication leads only to distress.

In Your Best Interest

Customers may become confused or frustrated by your policies and procedures. This is especially common in large organizations. But it’s not productive to blame your customers or your colleagues – that only makes things worse. What is effective is to resolve the situation permanently by improving the clarity and consistency of your communications.

Positive, Proactive Communication

Whether you are in education, marketing, retail, logistics, government service, entertainment or insurance, communicating positively and proactively with your clients makes sense.

Are You Pulling in the Same Direction?

Your service reputation is built, or destroyed, in every moment of customer contact. If your marketing, delivery or service partners are weak, your reputation is at risk. If one department is out of touch, your service image takes the hit. Can you afford to partner with people who do not protect your reputation? Can you allow one department to sabotage your commitment to quality and customer care?

When Service Goes Wrong, Bounce Back!

We all try to do things right. No business sets out to do wrong when servicing customers. But life is full of unexpected moments and, inevitably, mistakes do happen.

Give a Gift That Gives Again

Giving a 'free gift' to your existing customers may be appreciated, but may also become expected. Giving them a free gift to share with someone else can be a unique surprise for both.

To Build Your Business, Appreciate the Customers You Already Have

Picking up new business is important, but it can cost a lot in advertising, special discounts, promotions and new customer orientation. Increasing your business with existing customers magnifies the loyalty of those you already have, and substantially boosts your profits.

Service Begins in Sales, New Sales Begin in Service

For more sales, better service, happier customers and employees, get Sales and Service working hand in hand. Customers experience both sides – each should support the other.