You are treated pretty much like a queen. Not only by your family and friends who ooh and aah over you, but by complete strangers.
Shop clerks, waitresses, all your parents' friends, you find relatives you never even knew you had, coworkers, you name it!
During this period of your life, you feel pretty special, pretty important, very valued and hopefully extremely happy.
So I ask you, have you felt like that lately? Because that word
engaged
is a word that is used an awful lot these days, in sales, in marketing, in social media.
Get your audience engaged, keep your customers engaged.
These days, customer engagement takes a lot more than a series of emails or a weekly newsletter, but what does it take really?
And I ask you, if "someone" was trying to get or keep your business, and they made you feel even a bit like that other engaged, how likely are you to do business with them?
I bet VERY likely, because I tell you, if someone was making ME feel like that, I'd practically be throwing my money at them! As a matter of fact, I can even think of an instance where I do that nearly every week!
It may sound trite, but my local grocery store, Mariano's. I know most of the managers, and more importantly, they know me. They know where I've been on vacation, various social activities I'm involved in, all kinds of things. When they see me, they smile, they rush over, they make an exerted effort to find something to do for me. Heck, the front end manager unloads my cart with me half the time. Despite the great prices, my grocery budget seems to have increased a bit, and I couldn't be happier!
What could you do to make your customers and future customers feel a bit more like a blushing bride? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Excellent customer service entails going the extra mile and respecting the individuality of the people you deal with. Four recent examples from my experience:
ReplyDelete1. My skin care/cosmetics rep. She really takes the time to help me select the right products for me. It's not "one size fits all." She keeps in touch on a regular basis but she's not pushy if I don't need anything right then. She'll give a bonus gift with a purchase and offers specials that are a genuine bargain. Holiday open houses at her home, free packaging and shipping of gifts, just lots of little touches that inspire loyalty with her customers.
2. Our financial advisor, who also keeps in touch with us on a regular basis. He's very personable and we do talk a bit about our families, but he also is honest and doesn't sugarcoat a situation, doesn't promise unrealistic profits, and again doesn't try to sell us products we don't need. He knows his subject and his history. We trust his recommendations, and have been happy with his firm over the years.
3. My dental hygienist. After a couple of unhappy experiences I found a good one, and always ask for her. She takes my sensitivity to pain seriously and makes me as comfortable as possible in a very uncomfortable situation. Above all, she treats me with respect and kindness, which every health professional should do as a minimum standard.
4. The staff at Trapeze School NY. Whether working with a teenage gymnast or a 60-something klutzy first-timer who has issues with going down an escalator, their motto is "we'll take good care of you." And they do, with just the right amount of kindness and encouragement, stressing fun along with safety. They don't make you feel stupid if you can't catch onto something or you're scared. They don't just hire anybody. It's a rigorous process involving far more than aerial skills; you have to have real empathy for people. Oh, and they also offer good deals to get you to come back!