Just Make Eye Contact
Recently I was asked by a potential client to stop in with some samples of our work. So, not wanting to miss out on any opportunities, I packed up a sample kit and headed down to the store. When I arrived I found two people behind the counter- one that was serving someone else and one that was apparently being paid to walk back and forth behind the counter. Neither of them felt that acknowledging my presence was a part of their job description. Neither of them made eye contact with me, smiled, gave me the one minute gesture or even told me to go jump in the lake. I am quite certain that they saw my samples, assumed that I was a sales person and chose to ignore me. In actuality I had a scheduled appointment with the president of their company- their boss. I had actually been invited to their business.
I am a patient person so I stood there, smiling, for fifteen minutes and watched the back and forth girl try to not make eye contact with me. She would look toward me every few minutes but never at me. Even if she was not capable of waiting on me the very least that she should have done- especially since she was so busy doing apparently nothing- was let me know that the other person would help me when she was through. The person serving the customer could quite simply have looked me in the eye and offered a smile to let me know that I was not invisible. Instead I was judged by what I had in my hands and I knew without a doubt that no one wanted to deal with me.
'Don't judge a book by its cover' is not a cliché that should be ignored when it comes to sizing up the people walking in the front door of your business. Regardless of whom you think that person may or may not be he should be treated with respect and common courtesy. If he turns out to be a 'sales person' then all that has happened is you have used a few minutes of your day being polite to someone. On the other hand, this person could be a great new supplier- or a potential new client, or an invited guest! Each of them should be treated in the same way-with common courtesy.
When I was finally acknowledged by the employees of my potential client I was very polite and treated them with the courtesy I wished they had afforded me. For all I knew back and forth girl was serving a great purpose- who was I to judge her by her cover?
May 2009
The Little Guy
I was reading a new book to my kids the other night and the first page set off some bells for me. The book is about a little dog who was often overlooked by the other canines in his neighbourhood merely because of his miniature size. The other dogs grew tired of waiting for the little guy to catch up when they played chase and so they finally stopped asking him to play. In fact most of them seemed not to notice him at all.
Having been in the customer service field for more than twenty years the poor little dog made me think of the customer that brings us only a small amount of business- the little guy. This is the client that only buys one item, chooses to sign up for only one of our services or only comes in once or twice a year. This is the client that we tend not to notice because of the miniature amount of business that he brings to us.
Do not fall into the trap of thinking that only the big clients deserve special treatment. Do not judge the importance of a client by the amount of money that he spends with you. The little guy needs to be treated with the same respect and sense of urgency as your largest client. The fact that 'the little guy' is buying only one unit of your product twice a year and your 'most important client' is buying hundreds of units a month should make no difference whatsoever to the way that they are treated. That single product probably means so much more to the little guy- it is the only unit that he can afford and without it he cannot continue to run his business. By the same token, if he has asked you for a service then he is depending on that service being supplied in a courteous and timely fashion. His timelines need to be met with the same sense of urgency as the timelines that are set out by your largest client.
Back to the story of the little dog- he had big dreams and he realized that if he wanted to achieve those dreams he would have to work hard. And he did. In fact he became a super hero and changed the lives of many animal neighbours. Now, when the little guy in business succeeds do you want to be remembered by the super hero or not noticed because of the miniscule amount of respect and attention that you provided him when he was just starting out?
March 2009
The Extra Mile
I recently accepted a floral delivery for the people who live next door and the delivery person handed me a long-stemmed red rose for 'being a good neighbour'. My immediate thought was 'How nice". It cost me nothing to do this thing for my neighbour but it was perceived as going the extra mile.
What is the extra mile when it comes to customer service? For some it is as simple as a single red rose (remembering their names) - for others it may take an entire bouquet (meeting an exceptionally tight deadline). It is becoming more and more apparent that we need to figure out what the extra mile is for each of our clients- before our competition finds out. No longer do people concern themselves solely with price - these days the things that keep customers coming back are the things that make them say "how nice". Roger Staubach made a great point when he said that 'There are not traffic jams along the extra mile."
So take some time for your clients- send a birthday card, a holiday card, a thank you note, an email acknowledging the article that you read about them. Remember how they take their coffee or that their oldest child is heading to college this year. Go the extra mile and your customers will say "how nice" and they will remain your customers.
February 2009
Just Smile
Imagine walking into someone's home and being ignored or if you are greeted it is with annoyance for having interrupted them. You would feel unwelcome, unwanted and in the way. You would try to leave as quickly as possible. It is no different when walking into a business- except that when someone leaves your business they will be heading to your competitor. Imagine if you had just smiled.
Customer Service with a smile- we all think that we know what this is but do we truly understand the impact that a friendly greeting can have on a client? Recently we won new business, not because our prices were better or we were more conveniently located but because each time this new client called or stopped in she was greeted with a smile and a friendly manner. Apparently this was something new for her as she explained that with her previous supplier she never knew what to expect when she called. If only they had just smiled.
A smile should be the first thing that anyone walking through the door should see- it is welcoming and puts people at ease right away. If you add a pleasant tone and a cheerful hello you have made this newcomer comfortable and willing to stick around to see what you have to say- or to sell. Just smile.
