A happy customer is the leavening of the mix. You wouldn’t be in business were it not for that customer. The recipe for having a happy customer is not complex—but it is extensive. Consider these ingredients:
Commitment to the Customer
• Make a commitment to the service you provide – let’s say it’s selling tire storage: you have to devote yourself to making service a positive experience for the customer.
• Learn everything you can learn about your customer—the car he drives, the home she occupies, and the clothes they wear. Learn about her status and family—spouse, children, and their interests. Learn what you can about the customer’s buying habits. Keep records of frequent and repetitive purchases.
• Practice gentleness—courtesy, respect, responsiveness, and responsibility. Pepper your language with “please” and “thank you,” and “I’ll be happy to ….” It pays dividends.
• Give the customer the benefit of the doubt. If the item clearly is unsuitable to the customer, you can’t make it suitable. Replace it or take it back.
Commitment to your Business
• Learn everything you can about your hay crusher products; convey confidence and overcome two fears: yours and your customer’s, proudly displaying your company’s logo on your own car is one way to exude personal confidence in your business.
• Remember that the customer wins all arguments. Be more concerned with problem resolution. Accede to the customer’s wishes wherever possible. If you cannot, use calmness, logic, and firmness.
• Be responsive. Do what you say you’ll do. Treat every customer interaction with the agreed-upon urgency.
• If you’ll concentrate on getting and keeping the customer, sales will follow.
• Facilitate the transaction. Have your paperwork done—don’t stop and do it then. Know where things are. Have your tools and supplies handy. Make it easy for that customer to do business with you.
The Business Isn’t Done Until…
This recipe’s ingredients must be selected with care, improved as necessary, and mixed judiciously. From a business perspective, there is yet another task to be done—record keeping. Document and analyze your transactions. What went well and why? What didn’t go well? How can we overcome problems and objections the next time when the problem or objection is encountered we can respond positively and appropriately?
The proof of the recipe is in the tasting. Did the customer go away or return? Were you able to provide satisfaction to her concerns—to her satisfaction? If it wasn’t fully to her satisfaction is there an understanding as to the outcome, one that both you and she can accept?