How do your customers feel about you...right now?
Do you know?
Are they really pleased with everything so far?
Is there something they'd like done?
What would they tell a friend who asked them about your service?
"Your customers are always under pressure to move their business elsewhere."
The pressure isn't always so overt, but it's always there.
Creating customers and keeping the customers you have is certainly the real purpose of any business.
Providing a level of service that compels them to tell others about you is the foundation of leveraging their lifetime advocacy.
In retail it's called the "lifetime spending" of a customer.
In our world of referral networks and relationship marketing it's called the "lifetime advocacy" of a client.
A relatively easy way for your clients to see and feel your genuine concern for their well being is to take their satisfaction temperature, during their transaction.
It's simple and can be done in a few minutes by asking these few questions.
I would recommend that you make this call separate from any other ongoing business call and at a time that it would fit naturally into a conversation with your client.
It may sound like this.
"Good morning Mary, I have a couple important questions to ask. Do you have just a moment?"
"On a scale of 1 to 10," (10 being the best) "How are we doing?"
"How do you feel you've been treated so far," or "How do you feel about our service so far?"
I really appreciate your business and your confidence. One more quick question...
"From your perspective, what one thing could we do better to improve our service?" (you may have to probe a little)
or...
"Mary, as a customer, you can usually see things that we can't. What one thing would you improve?" (listen and then repeat back what Mary said)
finish with...
"Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way about our service and really appreciate and value your opinion. When you refer someone, I want you to know that they'll be treated the same way. Thanks again."
This entire conversation may only last one minute, but it speaks volumes about you and your relationship with your customers.
Referrals are all about relationships.
Sometimes we are so good about doing our business we forget that managing the customer's perception is as important to our referral business as our expertise is to the core service of our business.
Often service providers wait until the transaction is over to "survey" a customers overall satisfaction.That's good, but this is different.
What is more important than your customer's satisfaction DURING the transaction.
Try a behavior that allows your customer to see and feel your respect for their business and their future referrals.
Do you know?
Are they really pleased with everything so far?
Is there something they'd like done?
What would they tell a friend who asked them about your service?
"Your customers are always under pressure to move their business elsewhere."
The pressure isn't always so overt, but it's always there.
Creating customers and keeping the customers you have is certainly the real purpose of any business.
Providing a level of service that compels them to tell others about you is the foundation of leveraging their lifetime advocacy.
In retail it's called the "lifetime spending" of a customer.
In our world of referral networks and relationship marketing it's called the "lifetime advocacy" of a client.
A relatively easy way for your clients to see and feel your genuine concern for their well being is to take their satisfaction temperature, during their transaction.
It's simple and can be done in a few minutes by asking these few questions.
I would recommend that you make this call separate from any other ongoing business call and at a time that it would fit naturally into a conversation with your client.
It may sound like this.
"Good morning Mary, I have a couple important questions to ask. Do you have just a moment?"
"On a scale of 1 to 10," (10 being the best) "How are we doing?"
"How do you feel you've been treated so far," or "How do you feel about our service so far?"
I really appreciate your business and your confidence. One more quick question...
"From your perspective, what one thing could we do better to improve our service?" (you may have to probe a little)
or...
"Mary, as a customer, you can usually see things that we can't. What one thing would you improve?" (listen and then repeat back what Mary said)
finish with...
"Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way about our service and really appreciate and value your opinion. When you refer someone, I want you to know that they'll be treated the same way. Thanks again."
This entire conversation may only last one minute, but it speaks volumes about you and your relationship with your customers.
Referrals are all about relationships.
Sometimes we are so good about doing our business we forget that managing the customer's perception is as important to our referral business as our expertise is to the core service of our business.
Often service providers wait until the transaction is over to "survey" a customers overall satisfaction.That's good, but this is different.
What is more important than your customer's satisfaction DURING the transaction.
Try a behavior that allows your customer to see and feel your respect for their business and their future referrals.
Thanks for spending 3 minutes with me.....
The best is yet to be!
The best is yet to be!
Jeff
You read Jeffrey's Journal every week because you, like me want the best for yourself.
And you, like me want to build a strong referral based business.
Who else like you, like me loves referrals that you can share this blog with right now?
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