Next Level Group

I was a part of a group comprised of entrepreneurs and C-level executives.  We met one morning each week and shared our ideas and thoughts on a particular topic.  Before we began the meeting, we would go around the table and announce our name, the name of our business and our business focus. This was marketing.  As the meeting began, the owner of the group shared his thoughts on the topic and then called on a member of the group to briefly share his or her thoughts.  He then called on another person, and so on.  This is marketing.

Just being in the presence of other people who could be potential clients or who could refer business to me and having the opportunity to tell them who I am and what I do is an intimate form of marketing.  As I got to know them better, we marketed to each other, one-on-one.

Many business owners comment back that marketing and advertising are the same thing, that they both have to do with buying print ads, running commercials on the radio or television or having a presence on a billboard.  What do you think?

Advertising is one component of marketing.  Marketing is the “big picture”.  Advertising is transmitted to the masses; you are not sure who is exposed to your message.  Even though marketing is the “big picture”, it is personal, can be intimate and generally one-to-one.

Consider the word “value”.  I want to ask you a few questions as it relates to “value” in your business.

• What about your business do you consider a “value” to your customers?

• Take each item you mentioned above, and explain what about it is and can be “valuable” to your customers.

*  -

*  -

*  -

*  -

• How do you communicate those values to prospects or future clients?

In considering areas of your business in which you may not be providing value, please answer the following questions:

• What are some examples of “value” that you can begin providing right now that you are not currently?

• How do you intend to incorporate these items into your business?

Great job!  When you take the time to look at your business through your customer’s eyes, you may see and think of “value” in a new light.

Never, never, never forget that you and your business are the product. Focusing on this mindset alone can result in tremendous change and growth in the way you conduct business.  Now that’s real value!

In my last blog post, I talked about putting on “fresh eyes” when regarding the portions of your business of which the customer has contact.  Consider how you feel about these new areas and how you would feel/respond to a business that had similar challenges.  Then, if anything needs attending to – DO IT!  Your customers will notice and your profit margin will grow.

Other parts of your business that may need attention:

*Your employees:

• Unsmiling
• Unfriendly
• Not helpful
• “it’s just a job” attitude
• Badly or underdressed

*Your materials:

• Poorly printed
• Spelling errors and mistakes
• Looks like they have been copied too many times
• Little thought put into them
• Not user friendly

*Meeting with you:

• Are you on time?
• Does your visual image fit the prospect/customer’s visual image of you?
  • Are you dressed appropriately for your job?
  • Are you well-groomed?
  • Are your clothes in good condition?
  • Did you check your breath?
• Are you enthusiastic about meeting with him or her and can they tell it?
• Are you knowledgeable about your product?

You get the picture.  Customer service is more than just a face-to-face interaction; it also involves the customer’s perception of everything about your business and how it affects them.  Would you rather do business with a company that had little or none of the above challenges or one that you perceived “simply didn’t care”?  Don’t lose customers because you just aren’t paying attention!

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers.  From their point-of-view, are there areas of your business that they may not consider enough of a value to continue doing business with you?  What, other than an owner or employee with an indifferent attitude will assist in losing customers?

Often, a business owner is so focused on working in or running the business, that he or she may lose the ability to place themselves in their customer’s place.  Below are a few physical areas that may be overlooked:

* Parking

• No available spaces
• No defined spaces
• Potholes in the parking area
• Trash on the ground
• Unattractive, obtrusive, or no landscaping

* The appearance of the exterior building:

• Peeling or faded paint
• Dirty-looking
• Broken or missing items (cracked glass, a flag pole with no flag on it, etc.)
• Dirty fingerprints on the door
• Unkempt landscaping

* The lobby or waiting area:

• An empty reception desk
• A funny smell
• Out-of-date magazines
• Uncomfortable (or not enough) chairs
• Not clean or picked up

Next time you walk into your business, put on “fresh eyes” – the kind that have never visited your location before.  NOTICE the physical aspects of your business, and how you would feel/respond to a business that looked the same.  Then, if anything needs attending to – DO IT! Your customers will notice and your profit margin will grow.

When I think of a lack of customer service, the first thing that pops into my mind is working with someone at a business who just doesn’t care about their job.  Generally, those employees are not striving to meet your expectations, let alone exceed them, on a daily basis.  Why?  Because to them, “it’s just a job.”

Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s just a job,” before?  Have you ever said (or thought) it?  I have heard that phrase many times and the people who say it usually don’t like what they are doing, or worse, don’t like (or respect) their employer and feel that they are not respected. Later this year, we will tackle employee issues.

Today, I want to plant the seed that a poor or indifferent attitude is the number one (#1) way to lose customers.  Your customers/clients want to feel acknowledged, respected and appreciated.  Are you and your employees living up to your customer’s expectations?

In the next few weeks, we will take a look at other ways you can lose a customer – or worse, never get them in the first place.

So – if you and the business is the product, what are you selling?

To illustrate – Sam or Sally consumer can purchase a greeting card (merchandise or service) from you or someone else.  HOWEVER, they are only able to have the pleasure of doing business with you when they walk into your business.

Think about it.  If you and the person down the street, sell the same merchandise or service, how does the consumer decide who gets his or her business?

The answer is that you must set yourself and your business apart from others similar.

How do you do that?  You could have an extra clean store or office, have brighter display lights, offer great customer service, or more parking spaces.  But wait – the business down the street just changed their light bulbs and put fresh magazines out to read.  Now they are competing with you!

Here, in this blog, I offer you a simple, yet effective, secret weapon. Are you ready?  Exceed your customer’s expectations.  At minimum, always meet them.

Have you heard the story of the woman who said to her husband, one morning, “do you love me?”  The husband responds, “Of course.  I told you I loved you on our wedding day and if that ever changes, I’ll let you know.”

Tell your customers you love and appreciate them by considering what their expectations of you may be and developing a plan to meet and exceed them every time.

If you are a small business owner reading this material, I am sure that you will agree with me that operating your own business is an exciting and eye-opening experience.

Besides the day-to-day operations and the monetary responsibilities, it is important to have a clear understanding of your product.

If I were to ask the average small business owner what his or her product is, I would most likely get the following reply, “my product is greeting cards (or insurance, car repair, image consulting, etc.)  Let us take a moment and digest this answer.  If your product is greeting cards, then what are you selling?

OK – I am sure that I have you completely confused.  Let me explain.

In business, your product and item for consumption (merchandise or service) are different.  Your item for consumption is what the consumer actually purchases from you.  The product is you and your business.

You are not alone.

What I want you to understand that just because you have a great idea, product or invention – that alone is not a guarantee for success.  Often the reverse is true – many businesses fail because the business owner was a good, hard worker and thought that if he or she had the next great idea, product or invention consumers would knock down his or her doors to buy it.

The secret is that even though you may be confident about the success of your business and what you have to offer, if people do not know your business exists, you have no sales.  Worse than that (you may be asking, “what is worse than no sales?”), the consumer may have found you, experienced your merchandise or service and had a bad or unpleasant experience.

Back to the question I wanted to ask you.  Have customers ever left your business needing to “vent” about unsatisfactory service or unmet expectations?  If you cannot answer this question with the knowledge that 100% of your customers are completely satisfied and you have met or exceeded their expectations, you may have some work to do.

The first step I recommend a business owner take in putting together their customer-satisfaction program is to implement a satisfaction system.  Moreover, within your customer-satisfaction system, develop processes that cover every aspect of your business that “touches” the consumer.

For example, an auto repair shop might put together a checklist of items they want to make sure are taken care of (like wiping down the interior and cleaning the inside of the driver’s door) before returning a car to the owner.  In addition, they may create and send a satisfaction survey as well as develop a process for getting to know and staying in touch with the customer.

With regard to my auto repair experience, that dealership will get no more money from me.  Thankfully, based on a referral from a satisfied customer, I found an independent repair shop that has a great system in place and uses processes that lead to customer satisfaction.  Not only will they continue to receive my business, but gain referrals as well. Their focus on customer satisfaction has become a competitive advantage for them. Can you say the same for your business?