Expectations

Expectations & Satisfaction

Written & brought to you by

Ken Crause – Business Transformation Coach.

The objective every day you are open for business is to make your customers VERY HAPPY. Happy they came to your store. Happy with the deal they got. Happy with the way they were treated and happy with the product. Your first and primary job as a business person is to make your customers happy. If you do that, then they will make you happy also, by spending more money, shopping there more often and referring others to come shop there too.

Every customer that walks into your store comes with certain expectations; that you will be courteous, helpful, give them a good deal and show them that you care about them. They must FEEL that you care by the way you treat them. Shopping is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, not a chore. If however, their expectations are not met, then they will be dissatisfied and will leave disappointed and likely will never return to your store.

The difficulty with small business at times is that customers expect the same service and prices that they get from the “big” stores. Once somebody sets a new standard for customer service, it soon becomes expected of everyone. Don’t bother trying to fight it or argue that you are not.. “Walmart or whatever”. I figure that small businesspeople are more able to set the standards than large ones – who have just too much bureaucracy. Why not be the ones who set the new standards?

Most banks today offer better services because Credit Unions, who are much smaller have been the innovators and set the pace. Why not turn the tables on the “big guys”?

Your mission “should you choose to accept it”, is to have every person who walks into your business, leave very happy and satisfied. They must leave feeling appreciated and that their expectations were not only met but exceeded. They must leave feeling like they are now family and as family should be, welcome anytime.

So what practical things can you do to achieve this?

Here are few ideas to get you started making a list;

1.      Smile warmly and make each customer feel comfortable.

2.      Play soothing music “in the background” – it adds to the experience.

3.      If your product has no smell, then “freshen the air in the store so that it smells nice

4.      Make sure the temperature is “just right” Not too hot and not too cold. You won’t be able to please everyone but you can the majority. I hate shopping in a store that is freezing or cooking hot, don’t you?

5.      Make things easy to find and make sure prices are clearly marked.

6.      Find a way to always give them some sort of a deal – because they’re special. This is especially important when they don’t ask for it.

7.      Bend over backwards to help them when they need help – do not ignore them while you chat with a friend on the phone or someone else who is not a customer. Let them feel important to you.

8.      Train your staff to do the same things and watch to see they actually do – inspect what you expect.

Okay so this is a start to get you thinking – make sure you come up with other concrete ways to exceed expectations and you will be filling your bank account faster than you imagined.

Ken Crause – Business Transformation Coach

Email: ken@crauseco.com

Website: www.crauseco.com