My previous article highlighted how vital it is for businesses, especially small businesses and entrepreneurs, to follow-up with their clientele. The benefits were highlighted from the perspective of the Seller or Service Provider - the small business owner.
How essential is follow-up from the perspective of the Customer?
Here are two scenarios:
1) Jill attends a Craft Fair or Bazaar where all the booths are occupied by small business owners anxious to get their wares sold. She purchases a beautiful, handcrafted necklace. The bracelet and earrings are available but she's on a budget. The small business owner 'just ran out of business cards' so Jill pays her money and leaves with only her necklace. Two weeks later she is able to afford the remaining pieces of the set to compliment that special outfit for the office party next week. Unfortunately she has no information on the small business owner. She becomes a frustrated and disappointed consumer.
But wait! Surely the small business owner collected Jill's basic contact information to keep in touch with her in the event she may want to purchase the other pieces at a later date. Unfortunately the Vendor collected no information whatsoever!
2) Tammi is an Independent Beauty Consultant. She's out doing her errands but always has her business cards with her. She meets a 'sharp' lady, Ann, who's excited to meet a Beauty Consultant as she just moved to the area, lost touch with her previous Consultant, and urgently needs skin care products.
Tammi gets the products and delivers them to her new customer. Great customer service so far! However, Tammi fails to put her labels on her products. Ann throws out the business card along with the receipt in error just about the time she realizes that she needs some eye and cheek colors. She's now unable to get in touch with Tammi and could become a frustrated, irritated customer.
But wait! She just opened her mail. Tammi sent her a beautiful "Thank You" card with her complete contact information, which she created through her SEND OUT CARDS account. A relieved smile spreads over Ann's face. She can get her products after all. She thinks, "I'm going to like doing business with Tammi...she evidently cares about me personally and appreciates my business."
Do we want happy customers or disgruntled ones? The old saying, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bushes" is very relevant today. Let's make sure we're inviting our 'birds' to continually call on us by providing excellent customer service and follow-up!
And now I invite you to visit my website at: http://www.sendoutcards.com/62219 where you can create a FREE Gift Account and send out two cards with my compliments.
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Why Follow-up with clients in a Changing Economy
Our current economy dictates that small businesses and entrepreneurs especially do whatever they can to attract new clients and customers, and retain them as well.
Mary Kay Ash, one of the greatest Entrepreneurs of our 20th century often said, "It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an established one." Would you not agree that it just makes more sense to adopt this attitude?
You probably can immediately think of many methods to implement to retain existing customers and clients but there are three sure-fire ways to do so:
1. Follow-up
2. Follow-up
3. Follow-up
Too simplistic, perhaps? Redundant? Customer dissatisfaction results when existing customers/clients feel that there is very little personal interest and that businesses see only the $Sign. Again I quote Mary Kay Ash who said that we should view every person as wearing an invisible sign that says, "Make me Feel Important."
A personal experience adds credence to this fact: I'd been a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant for a short time when I received a call from a lady who asked if I had certain products available. She was quite aggravated as her Consultant had left on vacation without filling her order and she needed products right away. I took care of her and explained that while I appreciated her business I would not add her to my mailing list nor call her because she already had a Consultant. I did, however, send her a "Thank You" postcard as I usually do following a sale. A few days later she contacted me and told me that her husband, a business owner, and herself were so impressed by the "Thank You" card that she wanted to do business with me because I demonstrated such professionalism. I explained our Golden Rule policy, however, she pointed out that since it was her money she had a right to decide that she would spend it with someone who gave her personal service. I could not argue with that! She has been a loyal customer who's spent hundreds of dollars with me every year for the past eight years!
Would you say following-up is easy? Perhaps not, but it is definitely worth it!
My recommendations are nothing new, but I hope they will serve to remind us that as small business owners, home based business providers, entrepreneurs, whatever designation we give ourselves, now that many of our clients and customers are spending less, or just hesitating to spend, we will NEED to among other things:
* Demonstrate more than the usual excellent Customer Service
* Take care of the customer's needs promptly
* Make sure to follow-up after the sale or service to insure that customers are satisfied.
Happy customers who know that we care build trust and will keep doing business with us even when the buzz word is "recession." They will also be more willing to refer their friends and family to us.
Mary Kay Ash, one of the greatest Entrepreneurs of our 20th century often said, "It costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an established one." Would you not agree that it just makes more sense to adopt this attitude?
You probably can immediately think of many methods to implement to retain existing customers and clients but there are three sure-fire ways to do so:
1. Follow-up
2. Follow-up
3. Follow-up
Too simplistic, perhaps? Redundant? Customer dissatisfaction results when existing customers/clients feel that there is very little personal interest and that businesses see only the $Sign. Again I quote Mary Kay Ash who said that we should view every person as wearing an invisible sign that says, "Make me Feel Important."
A personal experience adds credence to this fact: I'd been a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant for a short time when I received a call from a lady who asked if I had certain products available. She was quite aggravated as her Consultant had left on vacation without filling her order and she needed products right away. I took care of her and explained that while I appreciated her business I would not add her to my mailing list nor call her because she already had a Consultant. I did, however, send her a "Thank You" postcard as I usually do following a sale. A few days later she contacted me and told me that her husband, a business owner, and herself were so impressed by the "Thank You" card that she wanted to do business with me because I demonstrated such professionalism. I explained our Golden Rule policy, however, she pointed out that since it was her money she had a right to decide that she would spend it with someone who gave her personal service. I could not argue with that! She has been a loyal customer who's spent hundreds of dollars with me every year for the past eight years!
Would you say following-up is easy? Perhaps not, but it is definitely worth it!
My recommendations are nothing new, but I hope they will serve to remind us that as small business owners, home based business providers, entrepreneurs, whatever designation we give ourselves, now that many of our clients and customers are spending less, or just hesitating to spend, we will NEED to among other things:
* Demonstrate more than the usual excellent Customer Service
* Take care of the customer's needs promptly
* Make sure to follow-up after the sale or service to insure that customers are satisfied.
Happy customers who know that we care build trust and will keep doing business with us even when the buzz word is "recession." They will also be more willing to refer their friends and family to us.
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