CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
FOR SMALL BUSINESS
MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT
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Relationship Marketing is key to your business
strategy. Use these resources to learn why it is important and
how you can improve the service you provide your customers and
clients.
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5 Secrets Of Good Customer Service
Albert E. Schindler
Part 1: Build Business to Customer Loyalty
Good customer service is the bread and butter of your business.
For instance, I paint outdoor signs and create various types
of indoor/outdoor promotionals for people in our small town.
I’ve been at this business now for over 20 years. I rarely
advertise, yet I enjoy about 80 percent of our town’s sign
and display business. How do I do it?
I have several business success secrets that helped me get to
where I am today, and all of them relate to good customer service.
These customer service secrets can equally apply to service
contractors doing business with other businesses, as in my case,
or to retailers doing business with the general consumer.
Customer Service Secret Number One - Build Business to Customer
Loyalty. This is my number one customer service secret, and
is by far the most important one.
I was taught about Business to Customer Loyalty many, many years
ago, before I started my own business, when I still worked as
a hotel detective in a ritzy down town Calgary hotel. The hotel
insisted that every one of us who had contact with their customers
know the customer by his full name and, when possible, other
personal or business information about him.
“Good evening, Mr. Smith. Welcome to our hotel.” Then,
after a bit of miscellaneous chit-chat, “By the way, Mr.
Smith, did you manage to unload at a profit those hundred shares
of Doodlebug Appliances you thought were a bit risky?”
or, “Was your daughter accepted at Harvard? Last time you
were a guest with us you expressed concern that Emily was having
difficulty with her math, and wasn’t sure if she had enough
points to qualify for admission.”
Now, here’s a customer who KNOWS that he’s welcome
at your hotel, and whenever he’s back in town, you can
count on him staying in your establishment!
Is this spying on customers? Not at all! It’s simply remembering
a few concerns that your customer shared with you the last time
he stayed in your hotel.
When you can show concern about what matters to your customer,
that’s Business to Customer Loyalty, and you can bet on
it, you’ve just acquired a customer for life. |
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