Did you know that “b#stard fudge measure” was once a genuine term used in newspapers? Or that one UK police force created a Fast Action Response Team – and went as far as having the initials printed on their vehicles (work it out for yourself. the point is this - every business has its private language – make sure you don’t use yours on an unsuspecting Customer. If the person doesn’t understand what you are saying, it’s much easier for them just to say “no”
Do you know how your Customers really judge you? In a survey a few years ago, SAS Airlines discovered that the most important factor passengers considered when thinking about confidence in the airline was…whether their fold-away coffee tables were clean! Think about it – you don’t get to look in the engines to see if they are well maintained – but if they can’t even manage it with the coffee tables… well…! Another prime example of this – if you visit a restaurant for the first time and their toilets aren’t sparkling clean – what do you think about their kitchens? And the moral is – attend to the little things that the Customer attaches importance to. Of course, your first task is to find out what they are!
Are you willing to accept this as a truth: just because a person doesn’t agree with you; this doesn’t automatically make them wrong? Let’s face it, we all believe we are right in the views we hold – no matter how much we might pretend that the other person has a valid point! Take this a stage further – just because the other person is actually genuinely wrong – that doesn’t make them wrong! In other words, if they believe they are right, simply by showing them the error of their ways you are more likely to antagonise than persuade. So – be careful in both what you say and in the ways you say it. And, that’s a valuable tip for almost every other point already covered in these pages!
So to the two, final, key questions:
Are you truly prepared to do whatever it takes to set the example of Customer service excellence that you can then expect others to follow? If so, think of ways to start demonstrating this. But be subtle: it isn't about: "this is how wonderful I am - you should be too". It is often about the small actions you take all the time. These can then build into a big message And to the final question itself:
Are you really prepared to accept this great truth of Customer service? Here it is: if your Customer isn't interested in it - it's not service. No matter how great you think the way you do business is, if your Customer is focused on other areas - you should be too. At a party, would you rather spend time with someone who tells you how great they are; or someone who listens to what you'd like to say?!
If you have any questions or thoughts about Customer service, please email me at venworks@btopenworld.com. And - thank you for your interest in this subject
Powerful Customer Service - Twenty Key Questions to Ask Yourself (16-20) - To learn more about this author, visit Gordon Veniard's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 |
Related Articles |
|
 Guerrilla Caring
|
| |
 All business owners care about their customers, but guerrilla marketers prove they care. Here are twenty ways that they prove it.
|
|
30 Seconds can make you a lot of Dollars
|
| |
A 30 second follow-up call increases sales
20% to 40% for the top sales producers
|
|
Dealing with Difficult Customers #1
|
| |
How to deal with customers who are information junkies and time vampires (From Shaun Belding's "Winning at Work" newsletter
|
|
Want to Know How to Sell All You Have to Do is Ask
|
| |
Have you ever answered a question with a question? Would that be making a difference to your conversion rate? The answer to the latter is most definitely yes! Asking questions not only increases your conversion rate...
|
|
Asking Questions
|
| |
By asking the right questions you can close the sale
|
|
|
|
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small}
