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9 Steps to Losing A Great
Customer
By Ed Rigsbee
(Reprinted with
permission from Petersen's SHOT Business, July 1998)
Easy come, easy go.
Hardly! Too often, as I travel the country presenting seminars, this is
the subliminal message I receive from an alarming number of business owners.
Keeping customers is more cost effective than working the come-and-go
customer turnstile. Take to heart the items listed below, and if you are
guilty, well, shame on you!
- Clean your place
of business.annually. Today, customers have a tremendous amount of choice
in shopping. Choices range from your local competitors or the volumes
of mail-order catalogs clogging America's mailboxes daily to the shopping
channels. If your store is not clean, customers will trade elsewhere
or simply sit in the comfort of their own homes and do their shopping.
- Have displays,
desks and other obstructions situated to block our customers' entry.
The approach is so important, you only have one opportunity to make
a first impression, why blow it. Take note of retail establishments
you frequent. Is their entrance all junked up?
- Say, 'just a sec"
and then come back in five minutes. This is one I hate. It tells me
that I'm not important to you That you think I'm stupid and cannot tell
time. Be honest, say, "I'll be with you when I have finished with
this customer and I'll give you the undivided attention I'm giving to
them." Most reasonable people will say, "Fine," and they'll
look around until you can get to them.
- Put the Line
Closed sign up just as a customer comes to the checkout. Tom Cage,
general manager of Kittredge Sports in Mammouth Lakes, California, has
a philosophy he regularly shares with his staff: "you stay until
the customer is finished, period! I don't know about you, but
I get really hot under the collar when I'm told that I'll have to go
to another line, especially if I'm in a hurry or have had a not-so-great
day. I will either explode or be sure not to return to that store."
- Answer the phone
just when it's the next customer's turn. Do not say, "Excuse me,"
and then go on to chat over the phone for an extended period. Try answering
the phone and saying (while looking straight in the eye of the customer
before you), "I'll be with you when I finish with the customer
I'm now assisting." Do that and the customer standing across from
you will feel 10 feet tall guaranteed! Remember, every customer has
this message painted on their forehead, "Make Me Feel Important!"
- When a customer
is angry, say, "It's not my department" or "It's your
problem." Wow, want to blow somebody off? Just try it. When you
have an angry customer, let them vent by actively listening to what
they have to say. Occasionally nod or make an agreeing comment. When
they have completely vented their ire, you ask the magic question: "what
would you like us to do for you?" Listen to their answer. Often
it might take less to make them happy than you might have imagined.
- Hire employees
who like to chat with each other rather than helping customers. Don't
ya just love it? You go shopping and can't get any help because the
store employees are engaging in a marathon chat-in. This is a great
way to tell customers that they are not important to you.
- Put items on sale
that you know you'll run out of before the sale is over. A former chain
of hardware and home supply was notorious for the practice; it was a
joke throughout Southern California that they never had what was in
their advertisements. They were not always out of stock on sales items,
but they were often enough that the public developed the perception
that they never had what was on sale. Notice that I mentioned former?
- Look around and
keep your mind on anything but the customer. Do this especially when
they are standing face to face and attempting to explain their needs
to you. Again, you're telling the customer that everything else going
on is more important to you than they are. People with money in their
pockets, or at least plastic, will assist you to a great living if you
give them value. Understand that value takes many forms, including fair
price, convenient location, timely service and a pleasant shopping experience.
Very few retailers have positioned themselves to be the only game in
town. But, being the only gam in town still does not guarantee your
success. Today's consumers have choice that goes far beyond the city
limits.
Partner with our
customers, treat them not the way you wanted to be treated, but the way
they want to be treated. Make them feel really important. Do this and
they'll reward you with their loyalty and dollars for years to come. Even
a casual customer, over a decade, this customer yields substantial profits.
Ed Rigsbee is
president and founder of Rigsbee Enterprises, Inc. and is the author of
The Art of Partnering. Rigsbee can be contacted at PO Box 6425-9S, Westlake
Village, CA 91359; 805-371-4636; fax 805-371-4631 or e-mail: EdRigsbee@aol.com
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