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Valuing Customer Relationships By Listening To Them Really Well

Guest post by: Martin Haworth

Article Overview: Customers are the lifeblood of any organization, whether they provide products or services. To get the best from them, we need to show that we hear them well...

Valuing Customer Relationships By Listening To Them Really Well

Exceptional customer service is becoming a rarity these days, except in those situations where business owners - and their people, of course - have recognized that there is added value in making the best relationships with those who ultimately pay their wages. And it's more than that, because it's possible to enable your customers and clients - with just a few tweaks to the way you work with them - to become total ambassadors for your business too.

Much time and resource is spent in the first place, on drawing in customers into relationships with us. Whilst we really need these interactions to thrive, so often, once they get through the door (real or virtual), the relationship falters.

You see, those at the sharp end are either ignorant of - or even worse ignore - just a few simple tactics that are easy to learn and even easier to apply.

When we have customers and clients, we have an obligation to enter into a simple transactional relationship with them, however minimal - that would be the worst case - that might be.

Yet there is so much more opportunity for us when we create great relationships with our customers, not least because it creates an easy passage as the transaction is completed.

If we get more creative when we build customer relationships, we can leverage it to have them as regular customers; to tell their friends and even, where things go wrong, for them to be on our side whilst we work to fix problems for them.

One of the easiest tactics we can each adopt whilst in conversation with them is to move the balance of contribution during the interaction, from us to them.

By spending more time actively listening to them, rather than filling the conversation from our end, we will help them like us much more. Being heard is a rarity these days, especially in service organizations, with their off-shore call centers and timed conversation targets.

When we give them the time to talk, we let them feel wanted and they respond by being more flexible; more patient and much more as partners alongside us.

Taking the time to listen can be challenging, as our organizations squeeze more out of those of us who are at the sharp end - and in less time too.

To make the difference, local managers would do well to leverage customer relationships by spending more time with - and listening to - their customers and encouraging their sharp-end employees to do the same.

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  The Art of Heart-Listening
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  Lesson #3 Know The Game Part I
  Lesson #3 Know The Game Part II.

Article Tags: active listening, customer relationships, employee development, listening skills, management development



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Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT - Hi David, To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience". Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: How do I find a direct mail list of potential customers - Hi WhyNot, Is it possible there are websites about the Federal Government. It needs to delve into it to find the key person. Listening for once to the news could pinpoint who is really in charge of this department. I wish you wisdom to connect with the right people. Nothing is too difficult, if you put your mind to it. Maybe some one else has a supportive idea.
Re: How to Get Over Your Fear of Failure, Make Every Second Coun - Hi Evan, I've just been listening to a couple of your MTM videos while packing parcels. I especially enjoyed this one on JKR. Listening to stuff like this while packing orders is one of my better ways of "making every second count!"
Re: Paypal process $315 million in payments per day. - I agree with you David, their Customer relations suck. This mean other payment systems like 2CO and WORLDPAY should work on their customers relations to take more slice of the market.
Re: Reached 2 year mark and not sure what to do next - Hi Franklin007, I know your post was old and surprised it wasn't answered but hey i will have a go at it. Blood, sweat and tears should be valued when it comes to the value of a business, however, considering they say a business move mark is 2 years, I would say you are doing pretty well for no startup capital, you and your partner should be proud of yourselves, pat on the back for you both (as a business owner who sleeps 4 hours a night and works 7 days a week, i know your pain). Valuing a business can be done many ways, the best suggestion I could give would be to talk to a business broker followed by an accountant, no disrespect to business brokers, however, I have had many discussions with several of them and no, i won't, i just suggest talk to a couple of business brokers for their advice then see your accountant etc. With your business you created, their is more to it than just "whats in the bank" you have a customer base of advertisers, you have a subscriber base or could potentially get one, you have software/hardware, printers or whatever equipment you may have, all of this together forms your business, therefore it all shoudl be considered. I hope this helps, if its too late, let me know how you went. Steven Hayes


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