Customer Service - Back To Basics

Recognise the importance of customer loyalty - some studies suggest that a 2% increase in customer retention will have the same impact as a 10% operating cost reduction. (Krsitina Evey, 2008)

How To Keep Customers For Life

Any initiative to put the 'customers first' must be underpinned by the following assumptions:

1. Reward them – make it feel good to do business with you; let them know what great service they are getting
   
   
2. Forget about selling – people love to buy; they hate to be sold at!
   
   
3. People only buy good feelings and solutions to problems
   
   
4. Keep asking: "What's the unmet need?", "How are we doing?", "How can we do better?".

Message From The Business Club

Here's a message that has gone out to members/subscribers of the Business Club. Thought you'd find it of interest.

"There is great excitement here in Bath at the Business Club offices. Things are going to start changing.

Due to popular demand (and impatience on our side!) the Business Club is going to change a little. The Club concept will essentially stay the same (videos, workbooks, articles, thought bubbles, etc … monthly updates… all helping you to grow your business) but we want to focus on actually helping you rather than just talking about it.

What we know and have always known is that the ‘business growing’ thing is all about making the tough decisions and taking massive action. It is not about reading another article and maybe doing something when you think you are ready. (See “What Do You Want To Grow Your Business?” http://robert-craven.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-do-you-want-to-grow-your-business.html)

My worry is that the Club just adds to the mass of reading/watching/listening that you can do to avoid taking action.

To that end we are going to ramp up our game in terms of engaging with you and actually helping you to grow your business. That means more interactions, more talking, more pushing, prodding and poking.

It is too easy to just be nice and keep everyone happy... And have nothing substantial to show for it. What a waste!

Call To Action
So, if you are an entrepreneur or business owner… call me direct to find out specifically how we can help you on 01225 851044. If you are looking to increase sales and profit in your business we can do that.

No ‘download this free report’ squeeze pages followed by a big sales push so that we hit our numbers...

Just a simple message:

“Pick up the phone and talk to us and we will tell you how we can help you grow your business. 01225 851044.” End of story!

Whether it is me or one of the ‘been-there-done-it’ team working with you, we are focused on one objective: getting the most out of your business!

Robert

PS The only thing that matters is results. Good intentions are fine and dandy but they don’t pay the bills!"

RELEVANT LINKS
Directors' Centre Online Business Club - free subscription (for the time-being!) - tools, tips and techniques to grow your business.

Directors' Centre - the new website for the business consultancy that focuses on growing your business.

Contrarian or Follower?

To follow the competition is dull.

In sledging, the view for the lead dog is much better than the view for the dogs at the back.

Why would you want to be a follower? The advantage of being a follower is that you do what else every one else does. You follow. It seems to be the safe place to be. But you won’t get noticed or remembered.

In business you need to get noticed otherwise why should people buy from you.So could you take a contrarian view which would get you noticed. I do not mean some cheap gimmick.

At its extreme you should look at what the majority are doing and do the reverse. When they zig… you zag.

If they do mailshots… you look for face-to-face meetings.
If they sell on price… you sell on quality.

One reason you might want to do this is because the popular approach probably isn’t working. If everyone is doing it then it (whatever it is) is probably pretty ineffective by now.

For instance, nearly everyone does adverts yet everyone knows they don’t work very well.

For instance, nearly everyone reduces prices in a recession yet everyone knows this is a form of suicide.

For instance, nearly everyone does ‘networking’ yet loads of people don’t see any business benefit.

For instance, nearly all accountants still charge by hourly rates yet fixed price clients are more loyal.

Can one million flies be wrong about one lump of sh*t. The answer is “yes!”.

So, for your business, what is the standard, average, dull, boring, follow-the-competition way of doing things?

Does it have to be this way?

Wouldn’t it be more fun to shake things up a bit and cause a bit of a stir at the same time. Give stuff away. Promote a randomly disconnected event. Challenge the status quo (the current models and theories can be considered to be out of date / inappropriate / irrelevant / too expensive / too cheap). Should you and your potential clients take the normal way as being good, right, or even ‘good enough’? (What does good enough mean? A bit more than OK? Is that what you want?)

End of rant.

But… Pushing the envelope can change everything for everyone.

A superstore for music, a pitch black restaurant where the waiting staff are blind, a web design that uses words only, a lemon squeezer that is aesthetically remarkable, a double glazing salesman that refuses to ask for the business… .

Just don’t be complacent.