The undisputed secret of repeat business
Love is the secret differentiator for capturing money in a sputtering economy. When we are working with tight budgets, we only want to give money to people we like.
Too simple, right? Not “high tech” enough for you? Couldn’t apply to your business because you’re not a customer-facing business? Or maybe your performance metrics are too sophisticated to measure something as touchy-feely as “soft skills?” Ah, you must not sell your goods or services to human beings.
For the sake of the conversation, let’s say you want to experiment with this “love” idea. How would you go about it?
Human Beings Have One Emotional Barometer
Many of you make the mistake of thinking your customers are in a business relationship with you. Wrong. Customers expect a human relationship because they can’t tell the difference. Customers respond to bad service with the same hurt and emotional triggers they experience in a bad personal relationship. If you ignore them, they feel unimportant. If you second guess them, they feel defensive. If you dismiss them without satisfying them, they get angry. They can’t help it. Unless they are heavily medicated, humans don’t have a firewall to protect them from their feelings. However, feelings of happiness and cooperation surface if they feel loved and respected by you. We all want to fill our lives with people who treat us well. We want to see those people as often as possible because they make us feel good. Customers want to be emotionally connected to you. So all you have to do is love them. Loving your customers makes them want to return…and when they do, they will give you more money.
| The competitor’s secret may be that their employees love working there. |
Loving You Means Customers Can Stop Dating Other Companies
Your customers have a dizzying number of choices these days. Not only are they constantly bombarded by TV, radio and print—but the online options further blur their buying decisions. In fact, reluctant customers often experiment with several companies before settling in with their “favorite place to shop.” You want to be the place they “settle.” Because when customers finally find a shop, service or product they love, they can stop “dating” other companies and commit to you. Feeling loved by you is a relief to your customers. It makes them feel smarter for picking you. They can finally stop spending time and money with your competition and start focusing on you.
Your Internal Customers Need Love Too
Let’s say you aren’t in a customer-facing organization. At some point, you’ll have to talk to someone in your organization, right? A boss? A coworker? The UPS guy? These people are your internal customers, and they need love too. Companies who grow “love” their associates. The competitor’s secret may be that their employees love working there. They’re happy, content, challenged, respected and have an emotional connection with the company. Do you feel that way about your company? Does your team feel that way? If not, you’re going to lose good people to your competitor, and they are going to take your customers with them. Lost love, internally, means lost talent and lost revenue.
You Can Actually Quantify ‘Loving’ Your Customers
After one of my seminars, a man named John Hixon from Sweetwater, Texas, told me he took over his father’s grocery store when his dad passed away. John found out that the little store had annual sales of about $250,000 a year but had lost $200,000 during the same period. He decided to take a leave from his insurance business to liquidate the store. When he couldn’t find a buyer, John decided to step in and see what he could do to save the market. He couldn’t afford to renovate or add new products so he turned to his customers, doing something radical, something his dad would never have done. John started loving the customers. He would stand at the front door and say hello to everyone. He’d tell them, “I sure appreciate you coming into our store.” With a twinkling eye, he’d say, “We’re small but we’re mighty.” If they asked for an item he wouldn’t just point them down an aisle. He would escort them to, let’s say, the oatmeal aisle. Then he’d explain why he carried that particular brand. After the customer went through the checkout stand, John would be standing at the door to say goodbye and wish them a nice evening, or weekend or holiday. Within nine months, the little store was on pace to gross $1.5 million! And the only thing John Hixon changed was that he started loving his customers. What’s even more incredible was that during this time, Wal-Mart opened just a few miles away.
There is the secret you’ve all been pining for. If people love you they give you more money. That is, of course, unless you’re too sophisticated for something as silly as that.
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Meet the Author Ross Shafer is the founder of the Customer Empathy Institute in Ladera Ranch, California, and on the Web at www.customerempathyinstitute.com. He is a speaker at GAWDA’s Annual Convention and will present “Is Your Business Staying Relevant.” |
