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| Serve your customers. Grow them. Delight them with dazzling
service. Under-promise, over-deliver. Become a performer. Today,
there should be no such thing as "I'm no a people's person, I'm
just a backroom boy". Make your work entertaining. Turn your
business into a theatre. Your customers and those who work with
you will love you for it. |
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tips to get curves ...
nice curves ... growth curves ... |
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Give 'em bang for their buck ... It
doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out - people want value
for their hard-earned money. Think about it. Which would you choose:
a burger for ten bucks? Or a burger, chips and cool drink for ten
bucks? Chances are you'd go for the latter. It's as simple as that:
provide your customers with good value, and you'll see them again.
Build customer loyalty and watch your growth cycle kick off.
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1.
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With more
customers, your market share and cash flow increase. But don't put
the money under your mattress, or put in it in a Swiss bank account.
Once you're on to a good thing, plough the money back into your
company to grow it even more.
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2.
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You're paying
peanuts? You'll get monkeys. Once you're in a growth phase, go for
the Super Employee. Quicker, smarter and more secure, Super
Employees give better service, attracting even more customers.
Which means more growth, and more growth, and more growth ...
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preliminary questions
to ask if you wanna nab customers ... |
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1.
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What's your bottom line? Well, if you're a publisher, it could be a number of things
- printing, informing, advertising, educating ... the list is
endless. If you're in it for the money, you have to ask what you're
really good at. Find your area of expertise, your bottom line - and
aim for it. |
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2.
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What's your future hold? Develop a long-term plan. And stick to it as much as possible.
Review and renew. Regularly and accordingly. |
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3.
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Who's your competition? And what do they have that you don't? |
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burning questions to
ask about your customers ... |
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1.
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Who's your target market? Are you on top of it? Say you've got a steakhouse with a heavy
evening trade - are you still selling the 200g cut as a "Ladies
steak" when it's mostly ordered by health-conscious male diners who
prefer lighter dinners? |
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2.
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Are you plugged-in to your
product's full usage? Have you developed a high-energy
health drink for gym goers, yet 40% per cent of your sales are to
ravers? |
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3.
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Are you keeping up with
the times? Are you a banker keeping traditional hours? And
then wonder why your Saturday mornings are full of stressed-out,
pressurised clientele? |
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ways to get smiles from your service ... |
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1.
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Go
to the top... It's no use having
all your passengers hyped up about road safety if the driver doesn't
have a clue. It's the same with service in the business world. Your
company's top dogs have to be committed to good service. They have
to want it bad - enough to develop a plan of attack. And apply it.
The first step is to put it on paper - but there's no room for the
dreamy stuff. It must be realistic and applicable. Once it's
presented and thoroughly explained, enforce it.  |
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2.
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Get
everyone involved... Think of it
as an all-out propaganda war. And you've got the bullhorn. Don't let
anyone escape your vision ... or grasp. Introduce the service
concepts in meetings, training courses and bosberaads. And have
department heads apply it to their own departments. |
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3.
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Beef
up the frontline... Who in your
company offers the first impressions to the outside world?
Switchboard, reception, drivers or sales reps ... it could be
anyone. Start a bit of training and role-playing to get the
frontline fired up. Your company only has one chance to make a first
impression. |
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4.
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Sniff
'round... Ever hear a farmer talk
about surfing? It could be scary stuff - or helluva interesting,
especially if you get a surfing farmer. But you'll never know unless
you ask. Use your employees' built-in diversities to gain insight
into what they think. Crabby receptionist? It could be the phone
system. What makes people act the way they do? You'd be a fool not
to enquire. |
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5.
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Reward
'em! Everyone love them. But you need a new system,
something with a twist. Don't use the old employee meeting method
where a manager makes an uninspired speech before handing over a
certificate that's met with polite - and uninspired - applause. Try
something like an in-house game show with offbeat, but meaningful,
prizes like a bottle of plonk or a half-day off. |
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6.
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Grow
'em! Flip the manager-employee mind-set. Change the baaskap
mentality where values flow only one way: from manager to employee;
try developing teams. Turn it into a two-way street where employees
can also offer feedback. It'll stretch both the employees and
managers. |
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7.
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Eat
the feedback... Customers can
offer invaluable feedback. Chase it. It could be as simple as
checking out any letters of complaint or compliments to hiring a
research company to conduct focus groups. And get everyone involved
in the process. |
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8..
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Prioritise... Switch your thinking. Look at everything from a different angle and put the customer first. |
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9.
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S.P.A.C.E. out! Speed. Personalisation. Accuracy. Cooperation. Economy. Five words
to get your customers grooving. |
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10.
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Just
beat it! Be quicker than your competition. And add extra
value. |
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Customer satisfaction is
out. Customer loyalty is in.
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ways to shine in the
service wars |
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1.
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Break faster than CNN ... Let your customers know everything - first. |
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2.
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Promotion commotion ... Have special savings and gigs just for them. |
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3.
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Freebies ... Add
some extras at no cost - deliveries, gift-wrapping, follow up and
support services. |
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4.
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I'll vouch for that ... dish out gift vouchers from complementary businesses; if you
make plastic cups, link up with a cool drink manufacturer. |
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5.
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They get what they want
... and when they want it. |
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6.
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'Feel free to call me at home up
to midnight '... Make yourself into a draught beer and be on tap. At
all times.. |
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7.
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The 'X' factor ... develop a unique selling point. |
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8.
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Instant smiles ... Dish out bonuses, prizes and gifts. For no reason. And without
fanfare. You'll create positive havoc. |
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9.
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Get the names, James ... people cannot resist being called by name. Know who they are. |
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10.
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Let 'em join you ... Develop affinity and loyalty programmes. |
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ways to meet your
customers |
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1.
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Send in the Big Kids - get your crack team in the streets. |
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2.
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Live the life - don't just sell the running shoes; get out there in the marathons.
Don't just sell the fruit; go into the kitchens to see how it's
used. You gotta get out there to see your product in action. And
it's an opportunity to gain some serious bonding points. |
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Keep that door open - Whether it's by internet or snail-mail, a toll-free line or an open
day, make sure your customers have access to you. It improves
communications and bonding opportunities. |
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4.
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The white lab coat method - From soul-searching internal research to hands-off contracted
studies, get into the brains of your customers. Drain their brains. |
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point fast-track to happy customers. |
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Focus
groups - One of the best ways to check out the pulse of your
customers is through focus groups. After its focus group, a
mid-sized Johannesburg travel agent found customers wanted the
following:
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1.
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The best price - consumers want to know that the agency is delivering the best prices
on airfare, ground transport, hotels, cars and packages. |
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2.
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A 'No Worries Mate'
attitude - consumers want any queries or problems dealt with
a positive manner - they don't want to hear "I don't know" or "I'm
not sure". They want to hear "Not a problem" and they want it said
with a smile. |
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3.
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Personalised care - they want their packages and arrangements to be personalised and
tailor-made. |
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4.
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No mistakes - they
want things done quickly and correctly |
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5.
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Long-term relationships - they want to work with one agent on a regular basis over time; to
develop an interactive relationship, ultimately to the customer's
benefit so that he/she doesn't need to explain non-smoking
preferences after seven years.. |
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6.
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Information - customers want access to info and they want the info offered without
asking for it. |
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7.
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Up to the minute treatment
- consumers want the latest info, particularly if it can
save money. And they want the flexibility to be able to take
advantage of specials or last-minute changes. |
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8.
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Follow through and follow
up - they expect the agency to be helpful and to take
responsibility and correct its mistakes quickly and efficiently.
point fast-track to happy customers. |
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If you provide inefficient
and bad service, there's no need to worry about the competition.
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tips to get you in touch, in tune
and interlinked with your customers ... |
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1.
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What are the five main
reasons customers buy from you? |
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2.
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Use your records to note the
biggest spenders. |
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3.
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Take the big spenders out to
lunch - and see what they're all about. Why you? Thoughts on the
competition. What could you improve? |
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4.
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Compare notes from points one
and three. |
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ways to get them
addicted... |
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1.
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Help 'em live their lives
- take it beyond the two-sides-of-the-counter relationship;
get involved in their lives outside your business. Support their
private dreams and efforts. Be a backer of community projects. This
is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, not the selfish 1980s. |
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Plug 'em in - there's a Spanish slang term 'enchufar' which means 'to plug in' -
become an enchufador, or someone who connects people. You're doing a
world of good to be the central nerve in the network as it empowers
your contacts while strengthening your position. |
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3.
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Burn to learn - Never assume you've learned everything there is to know. Once you
think you've reached the peak, you begin to stagnate, exposing your
soft belly to the sharpened fangs of the competition. |
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4.
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Little things mean a lot - Look at the small details that separate the cool from the fools. And
don't think it's cool because your mom says it's cool. Learn to be
objective and self-critical (the two are not mutually exclusive). |
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Take the blame - If you own an airline and lose someone's grandmother (it's happened
right here in South Africa) there's only one thing you can say
that's worse than "Hello, Mr Jones? We've lost your grandmother ..."
and that's "Hello, Mr Jones? We've lost your grandmother, but it's
not really our fault ..." |
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The manners invasion - you're the General and there's only one thing that'll win the
war of good manners - many tanks. Never stop thanking and go beyond
the obvious verbal method: signage, treats, notes, cards, faxes,
e-mails ... A freelance journalist who moved to South Africa
recently bumped into the director of an employment agency who he met
seven years prior. His opening line was "You probably don't remember
me but ..." The reply? "Of course I do! In my 20 years in the game,
you're the only applicant who ever sent a note thanking me for my
time." |
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Learn to listen - Read between the lines. Study your customers' written verbal and
non-verbal communication. They're constantly telling you what
they're after, even if it's not immediately obvious. |
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Walk a mile in their shoes
- Kit yourself up in a hectic disguise (or have a friend or
relative do it for you) and check out what it's like to be a
customer of your organisation. You might be willing to rally for
change once you're put on hold for 15 minutes only to be
disconnected in the transfer. |
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9.
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Empower your customers - Keep 'em informed, ply them with info. A tuned-in consumer is a
turned-on consumer. Don't just sell the chicken - sell the chicken
and throw in a '100 Ways With Chicken' recipe book. You'll catch on
in no time. |
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sure-fire ways to stay
on top. |
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1.
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Follow the high-life code
... Make time for the little things that add quality. Snatch
a weekend in a small town - somewhere in the Karoo or Free State -
pretend you're a foreign tourist and get to know a few of the
locals. Fresh perspectives. Fresh energy. |
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2.
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Stay loose and laugh a lot
... think of the movies: nothing like a fast-paced comedy -
especially compared to one of those drawn-out tear-jerking romances.
It simply feels better to laugh. |
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