For Leap's Sake

The other day I went to one of those quick oil change shops where you can have your oil changed in 10-15 minutes.  I didn’t need anything else done to my car – I didn’t need a new air filter, radiator or tires.  After checking the odometer for mileage and the door for the required tire pressure, the attendant asked me to put the car in park and to put the keys on the dashboard.  The guy went to look under the hood, then came back to ask if I would put the keys on the dash.

“I have them,” I said as I showed him the keys.

“We have to see them on the dashboard”, he says.

“I’m not going to start the car.”

“It’s our policy”, he droned.

“I’m not going to start the car”, I repeat.

“I have to insist…”

I then asked him to lower my hood because I was leaving.  It wasn’t so much that I was being a stubborn jacka**, as much as I didn’t want to give my business to a company that thought I was idiotic enough to turn on the ignition while the guy below had his hands in the engine.  I went down the street to one of their competitors.

Do you treat your clients as if they’re idiots?  Before you answer too quickly, check out the warning signs.

WARNING SIGN

Do you feel as if you need to “educate your clients”?  Because of your expertise and your thorough knowledge of your industry, do you feel that your potential clients are privileged to have you there to show them the light?  Have you ever felt as if your clients need you?

While some of these statements may occasionally seem to be true, entrepreneurs and business owners should never take their clients/customers for granted.

HOW TO AVOID THIS MINDSET

Remember you need them more than they need you

Think about it…customers are the life blood of your business.  Without them your business will cease to exist.  On the other hand, your client can probably survive (at least for a while) without your product or service.

Remember they always have options

You may think that you’re special (and you are), that your product/service is unique (it should be), but your client can always just go down the street to have their needs met.

Remember it’s a relationship, not just a transaction

The moment you forget this truth, you’re heading the wrong direction.  If you focus on building and maintaining relationships with your clients, you’re much less likely to take them for granted or to treat them like they’re idiots.

Until next time…Go Boldly! ^TM

Dino Herbert

The Business JumpMaster ^TM

Author of the forthcoming book: Business Jump School: 15 Drills You Must Master Before Starting Any Business

www.BusinessJumpSchool.com/book

photo courtesy of www.storybroads.com

Imagine a retail store that asks for the customer’s name as soon as the person walks in the front door.  Every ten minutes, in nearly clockwork fashion, the sales agent (using the person’s name) tells the customer about some great sale item in the store.  The customer listens politely, but isn’t annoyed at first.  When the customer has a question, however, the clerk doesn’t respond.  She continues on the regularly scheduled message about some great aspect of the store.  This DOES irritate the customer, especially when it becomes apparent that the clerk interacts with other customers….but only AFTER they’ve made a purchase!

What would you say about this store?

1. It has LOUSY customer service
2. It probably won’t be in business for long

Yet email marketing and social media have caused many businesses to operate exactly this way online.

Email marketing and social media have made businesses lazy, unresponsive and inconsiderate to their customers.  Having the convenience of collecting customer information and sending out preplanned messages automatically, doesn’t mean that  customers (and potential customers) should ever be neglected.

In the early days of your company’s life, ANY response to an email, blog post, Tweet or Facebook update was welcome.  These precious few folk were always acknowledged.  But after the brand became popular, it somehow became acceptable to neglect all but the most important of respondents – perhaps the frequent responders and definitely, the paying customers.

This should not be.

But you may be asking, what about Pareto’s Law?  Shouldn’t I focus my attention on the 20% who are providing 80% of my revenue?  Sure.

But if you neglect the 80% that’s providing the remaining 20% of your revenue, you can kiss that revenue goodbye!

Am I saying that you should respond to every “Atta Boy” and “You Go, Girl!”?  Yes, I am.

Am I saying acknowledge responses to your blog posts?  Yes, I am.

Am I saying respond to every individual email?  Yes, I am.  If your brand is so popular that you can’t do it personally, you need to dedicate a staff member to do it!

These are your customers – or they COULD be your customers.  Otherwise they probably wouldn’t have joined your list, followed you or “liked” your page.  So respond to them, provide great customer service to them….or you’ll probably lose them!

Until next time…Go Boldly!™

Dino Herbert                                                                                                                                                                                                        “Passionate about helping people reach their entrepreneurial potential”

Author of “Find Your Own Path to Success” and the forthcoming,

“Business Jump School: 15 Drills You Must Master Before Starting Any Business”

www.BusinessJumpSchool.com/book

www.dinoherbert.com