Here is the scene, a customer talking to convenience store employees near Kansas City.
Customer: Is this store under new ownership?
Employee: No, why?
Customer: You girls are so nice, and I was in here a couple of years ago, everyone was hateful -- if I wasn't so low on gas, I wouldn't have ever come back.
Employee: (Looking at each other) We have been here for the past 10 years.
So, Willoughby what is your point?
The customer had not been in the store for two years and remembers how she was treated. It is vitally important that we train and explain to our team how to take care of the customer, because they do remember. Here are some tips.
1. Truly explain to the entire team how important each customer is to the bottom line and their paychecks.
2. Ask your best customer service people to help the rest of the team. It is much easier for me to write about great customer service than it is to give it.
3. Reward great customer service -- use them as examples and make sure they know how much they are appreciated.
4. Be specific with your team what you expect. Great customer service means one thing to one person and a totally different thing to someone else.
Now, go take care of the customer
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
If all else fails, tell the truth
There is no more effective way of dealing with customers than telling the truth and backing it up. The best recent example is Toyota.
They have gotten a lot of publicity in the past few weeks and none of it has been good. Their TV ad to handle that negative publicity was excellent. If you have not seen it, they basically say three things:
A. We have missed the mark. We are not living up to the quality that you have come to expect from Toyota.
B. Everyone from management to the front line workers have stopped production and we are working on getting this problem fixed.
C. We will hit the mark and you will be able to trust us.
No excuses, no clever ad trying to divert your attention, just the truth. It worked for me, I salute Toyota. The elephant in the room never goes away until you talk about it. You can try to divert attention, you can say that it is not there, you can be silent, but the elephant is still there.
People love a great story, tell yours in your advertising. Make sure it is true, make sure it is something you can back up when they visit your store, but tell your story and tell the truth. It works.
They have gotten a lot of publicity in the past few weeks and none of it has been good. Their TV ad to handle that negative publicity was excellent. If you have not seen it, they basically say three things:
A. We have missed the mark. We are not living up to the quality that you have come to expect from Toyota.
B. Everyone from management to the front line workers have stopped production and we are working on getting this problem fixed.
C. We will hit the mark and you will be able to trust us.
No excuses, no clever ad trying to divert your attention, just the truth. It worked for me, I salute Toyota. The elephant in the room never goes away until you talk about it. You can try to divert attention, you can say that it is not there, you can be silent, but the elephant is still there.
People love a great story, tell yours in your advertising. Make sure it is true, make sure it is something you can back up when they visit your store, but tell your story and tell the truth. It works.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The CustomerCorner, Volume 6
How would you defeat you?
Here is a great exercise to improve your customer service.
Spend some time with your team and put yourself in your competitors shoes. Act as if you were a new competitor coming to town and they wanted to blow your customer service away. What would they do?
It may take some time to get your team going on this, but once they do, let them go. Don't argue with what they are saying, just write it down, preferrably on sheets of paper that you can hang up around the room.
Once everything is written down, let everybody vote on the top five threats. Once you get it down to five, put your hats back on and figure out ways to combat that threat before it arrives.
Congratulations, your customer service just got a lot better.
Here is a great exercise to improve your customer service.
Spend some time with your team and put yourself in your competitors shoes. Act as if you were a new competitor coming to town and they wanted to blow your customer service away. What would they do?
It may take some time to get your team going on this, but once they do, let them go. Don't argue with what they are saying, just write it down, preferrably on sheets of paper that you can hang up around the room.
Once everything is written down, let everybody vote on the top five threats. Once you get it down to five, put your hats back on and figure out ways to combat that threat before it arrives.
Congratulations, your customer service just got a lot better.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Customer Corner, Volume 5
How are you making your customers lives better?
Let me challenge you to find ways to add to your customer service. Let me give you an example.
Recently, when I was getting dressed one morning, I put on some pants that I had just picked up from the dry cleaners. The button on the pants was truly hanging by a thread and in fact came off. My immediate thought was "why didn't they take care of this for me at the dry cleaners?"
The dry cleaners could very easily say, hey our job is to clean them not repair them. I understand, but why can't they do both. What if the dry cleaners offer to fix any loose or missing buttons for a small charge? If they had 200 takers of that service in a year and charged $5.00 per time that is a $1000 dollars in more gross sales.
Probably more important, they would be adding service for their customers and increasing their loyalty.
What about you, what small things can you do for your customers to keep them loving you?
Let me challenge you to find ways to add to your customer service. Let me give you an example.
Recently, when I was getting dressed one morning, I put on some pants that I had just picked up from the dry cleaners. The button on the pants was truly hanging by a thread and in fact came off. My immediate thought was "why didn't they take care of this for me at the dry cleaners?"
The dry cleaners could very easily say, hey our job is to clean them not repair them. I understand, but why can't they do both. What if the dry cleaners offer to fix any loose or missing buttons for a small charge? If they had 200 takers of that service in a year and charged $5.00 per time that is a $1000 dollars in more gross sales.
Probably more important, they would be adding service for their customers and increasing their loyalty.
What about you, what small things can you do for your customers to keep them loving you?
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Customer Corner, Volume 4
Customers lie to you every single day!
They don't really mean to, they just want to be nice. In fact, you have probably lied to a business yourself. Let me explain.
You and your family are enjoying a meal out. Your food does not taste like you want it to taste. The server comes by and asks you if everything is okay, you smile and say just fine. And chances are good that you tell at least one, and probably more, other person about your displeasure.
So, how do you make sure that you are being told the truth? Here are some suggestions:
1. Hire a secret shopper. They will come in and shop your store and give you a full report of their experience.
2. Give your customers a chance to offer feedback through a blind survey. Again, this is done through a company and the customer is able to offer feedback without identifying themselves.
Regardless of how you do it, you need to make sure that you are getting feedback on your service and products. Without true feedback, you will not know how to train or re-train your staff.
They don't really mean to, they just want to be nice. In fact, you have probably lied to a business yourself. Let me explain.
You and your family are enjoying a meal out. Your food does not taste like you want it to taste. The server comes by and asks you if everything is okay, you smile and say just fine. And chances are good that you tell at least one, and probably more, other person about your displeasure.
So, how do you make sure that you are being told the truth? Here are some suggestions:
1. Hire a secret shopper. They will come in and shop your store and give you a full report of their experience.
2. Give your customers a chance to offer feedback through a blind survey. Again, this is done through a company and the customer is able to offer feedback without identifying themselves.
Regardless of how you do it, you need to make sure that you are getting feedback on your service and products. Without true feedback, you will not know how to train or re-train your staff.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Customer Corner, Volume 3
Last week, we discussed suggestion selling. Simply suggesting to your current customers additional purchases that compliment their main purchase. (Do you want fries with that?) This week, I want to stay on topic with a different slant.
Most businesses simply need to do a better job of communicating with their current customers. It is not that hard to stand above the competition. Some simple but direct questions about how your current customers see your store.
1. Is everyone greeted when entering your store? My wife and I went out to eat over the weekend and as we approached the hostess, she actually looked away, grabbed two menus, then looked at us and said, booth or table? No hi, how are you, thanks for coming in, etc. That set our tone for the whole meal.
2. Do your customers get 100% of your associates attention? Later that day, we entered a store and I observed the cashiers. One was checking out a customer and the other one had no one at her station. The customer was being totally ignored as they discussed a movie and how they both hated it.
Could either one of these examples happen at your business? Do your employees understand how they treat customers? Do you have regular training to teach your employees? What about secret shoppers? Good customer service does not just happen, you have to work at it. When you are working so hard to get people into your store, you need to make sure they are treated correctly when they arrive.
Most businesses simply need to do a better job of communicating with their current customers. It is not that hard to stand above the competition. Some simple but direct questions about how your current customers see your store.
1. Is everyone greeted when entering your store? My wife and I went out to eat over the weekend and as we approached the hostess, she actually looked away, grabbed two menus, then looked at us and said, booth or table? No hi, how are you, thanks for coming in, etc. That set our tone for the whole meal.
2. Do your customers get 100% of your associates attention? Later that day, we entered a store and I observed the cashiers. One was checking out a customer and the other one had no one at her station. The customer was being totally ignored as they discussed a movie and how they both hated it.
Could either one of these examples happen at your business? Do your employees understand how they treat customers? Do you have regular training to teach your employees? What about secret shoppers? Good customer service does not just happen, you have to work at it. When you are working so hard to get people into your store, you need to make sure they are treated correctly when they arrive.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Customer Corner, Volume 2
Last week, I told you that we would discuss suggestive selling. It can add money to your bottom line. It is easy to become very excited about getting new customers and new customers are vitally important for any business. However, the most profitable way to grow your business is from your existing customers.
Your existing customers already know and trust you. If you maximize their purchases, more will go to your bottom line. Is your staff trained to do that? If not, it may be costing you sales and profits. Here is a $100 dollar example.
A few years ago, a couple of my friends went to a big box store to buy a BBQ grill. My one friend told the store's associate which grill he wanted. The associate quickly went to work to get the grill taken to the front. My other friend (who has nearly 30 years in retail experience) asked about a cover, untensils, and a cleaning brush.
One hundred additional dollars were added to that one sell -- not because of the stores sales force, but because of a man who was helping his friend take better care of his grill. In this case it was 100 dollars, it could have been less or more, but add on sales are extremely important.
The associate was prepared to allow the customer walk out of the store with just a grill. Is your staff doing the same thing? Are you training them on how to suggest sell? What would it mean to your business if you added $100.00 to 50% of your transactions? It would be enough to create a suggestion sales game plan.
A couple of tactics: Create a list of add on suggestions for your major purchases and have your staff study them. Test them on it. Have some fun with the training. Think about paying a bonus for add on purchases. If you stay focused on this, be patient, look for coaching opportunities, your staff will soon take ownership.
Do you follow up with your customers after a major purchase? The technology is there to send emails, make phone calls, mail them a post card. Thank them for the sale, ask them to grade your store, offer them a discount to refer a friend. Suggestion selling could be a great way for you to hit your goals in 2010.
The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.
Your existing customers already know and trust you. If you maximize their purchases, more will go to your bottom line. Is your staff trained to do that? If not, it may be costing you sales and profits. Here is a $100 dollar example.
A few years ago, a couple of my friends went to a big box store to buy a BBQ grill. My one friend told the store's associate which grill he wanted. The associate quickly went to work to get the grill taken to the front. My other friend (who has nearly 30 years in retail experience) asked about a cover, untensils, and a cleaning brush.
One hundred additional dollars were added to that one sell -- not because of the stores sales force, but because of a man who was helping his friend take better care of his grill. In this case it was 100 dollars, it could have been less or more, but add on sales are extremely important.
The associate was prepared to allow the customer walk out of the store with just a grill. Is your staff doing the same thing? Are you training them on how to suggest sell? What would it mean to your business if you added $100.00 to 50% of your transactions? It would be enough to create a suggestion sales game plan.
A couple of tactics: Create a list of add on suggestions for your major purchases and have your staff study them. Test them on it. Have some fun with the training. Think about paying a bonus for add on purchases. If you stay focused on this, be patient, look for coaching opportunities, your staff will soon take ownership.
Do you follow up with your customers after a major purchase? The technology is there to send emails, make phone calls, mail them a post card. Thank them for the sale, ask them to grade your store, offer them a discount to refer a friend. Suggestion selling could be a great way for you to hit your goals in 2010.
The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.
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