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Hub You - Keep Your Customers Coming Back
Are you an individual who runs a locally owned and operated business? If you are, your targeted market is likely the individuals who live in and around your community. Although your first though may be to reach your targeted market though local newspaper advertisements, radio advertisements, the yellow pages, and other local advertising techniques, you may want to start thinking about using the internet, namely search engine marketing.It seems as if many locally owned and operated business owners have come to see the internet as an enemy. After all, with the popularity of online shopping on the rise, many business owners need to compete with online retailers. Yes, the internet may bring you and your business competition, but you shouldn’t completely write it off. Did you know that the internet, if properly worked, can actually bring y
There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.
In his book, ‘Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life’, T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:
*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you
Be creative. Use your imagination to
When Ned Lamont first sought to challenge 3-term U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in today's Democratic primary, almost no one thought this political neophyte had any chance.Sitting on my back porch here in Connecticut, it's an hour before the polls close in this political duel between the well estabished, well-known brand (Lieberman) and the new, unknown brand (Lamont).The unknown (Lamont) has succeeded in making his alternative into a viable choice on a $4 million budget, compared to Lieberman's $6 million. Just running for office is a big business. Many of my clients would be happy with that kind of gross revenue!And so, with an incredible voter turnout of just over 40% (in August!!) both sides are saying it looks good for them. We'll know soon enough.Both have used TV and radio and direct phone calls. We even got an over
"What do you mean, so what! We work very hard to achieve customer satisfaction - we're very proud of it."
Yes, no dispute that customer satisfaction is critical in the twenty first century, your company won't survive without it - it’s what customers now expect. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about customer loyalty.
"What's the difference?" you say. Plenty. Customer satisfaction is sending a happy customer OUT of your business; customer loyalty is bringing a happy customer BACK to your business. They are very different events.
We've all read the research that shows 96% of customers with a problem will never complain (if they complained you'd have a chance to fix the problem and retain the customer), and the stories of customer focused organisations that enjoy explosive growth by giving you a discount if the phone rings more than five times. All good stuff, and valid then.
This is today. Today's satisfied customer is tomorrow's competitor's satisfied customer. Unless you know how to keep them.
We made some assumptions about our customers in the service frenzy of the 80's and 90’s. Those assumptions are:
The level of service we decided to give our customers is what they actually wanted
The level of service we're giving will create customer satisfaction
High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business
Let's look at these three areas. Who says the level of service that your organisation gives its customers is what they actually want? Has anyone ever asked them? That may sound a little too obvious, and it's surprising how many companies never bother to ask their customers what they expect. Has your company ever formally asked its customers? By using the services of a market research company to survey them you will learn things you could never learn by asking them personally. Market researchers are impartial, and are seen to be so. The answers can be eye opening.
The second issue - the level of service we're giving will create customer satisfaction. Who says? The customer? They're the only ones who matter. Ask them.
Then the third myth. High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business.
Unless a customer is given very good reasons to return to do business with you again, all the customer satisfaction in the world won't bring them back.
So how do you keep your customers coming back? Assuming your products and services are good value for money, here’s the key. MAKE YOUR CUSTOMER FEEL SPECIAL. Make them feel they are the most important customer you've got. Yes, every one of them - individually.
Do the unexpected. As customers, we get blas? - we expect good service as a matter of course. Do something outrageous that will turn your customer into a walking, talking advertisement for you. Like giving all the customers in your restaurant a card instead of the bill on one night per month. The card simply says "Thank you for being our guest tonight. One night a month we treat all our patrons as our guests, and there will be no bill. Please tell your friends that we randomly choose a night where everyone is our guest, and eats for free. We hope you enjoyed your visit, and we'll see you again soon."
If that happened to you, how many people would you tell, 10, 20, 30? And how many of them would visit that restaurant, 50%, 80%? A large percentage, you can bet. We all like surprises, and we all like something for nothing, and we can't resist a gamble! And what has it cost - equivalent to a 3% discount over the course of a month. This technique need not be restricted to restaurants either, any business can adapt it.
Or how about a customer who is a keen golfer. Imagine their delight when, for no reason, a box of golf balls arrives with a note from you saying "Thanks for doing business with us, we appreciate it . . . hope you continue to enjoy your golf." How quickly would the story get around the golf club?
Why not allocate one service team to visit major customer sites on one day per month to carry out a full safety inspection and report on equipment installed there - free of charge and without being asked to do it.
There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.
In his book, ‘Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life’, T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:
*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you
Be creative. Use your imagination to t
Do you remember days back in high school when you got your very first job? Possibly you drove around to every burger, pizza and fast food joint in town, to find out if they were hiring. Sure, we all do it. How else can we make money to supe-up our cars? Its most likely to end up at a local grocery store or serving at the local diner. These are known as jobs for students.A majority of huge corporations don't tend to hire 16 year olds who lack a high school diploma. In fact, this is what drives us to work hard and do well in college. After an experience of these "jobs for students," we're so anxious to move up and away from their crappy hours, and headaches. And not to forget the terrible pay at the end.The first job I ever received was working at a video store. It wasn’t too bad considering some of the horr
We made some assumptions about our customers in the service frenzy of the 80's and 90’s. Those assumptions are:
The level of service we decided to give our customers is what they actually wanted
The level of service we're giving will create customer satisfaction
High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business
Let's look at these three areas. Who says the level of service that your organisation gives its customers is what they actually want? Has anyone ever asked them? That may sound a little too obvious, and it's surprising how many companies never bother to ask their customers what they expect. Has your company ever formally asked its customers? By using the services of a market research company to survey them you will learn things you could never learn by asking them personally. Market researchers are impartial, and are seen to be so. The answers can be eye opening.
The second issue - the level of service we're giving will create customer satisfaction. Who says? The customer? They're the only ones who matter. Ask them.
Then the third myth. High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business.
Unless a customer is given very good reasons to return to do business with you again, all the customer satisfaction in the world won't bring them back.
So how do you keep your customers coming back? Assuming your products and services are good value for money, here’s the key. MAKE YOUR CUSTOMER FEEL SPECIAL. Make them feel they are the most important customer you've got. Yes, every one of them - individually.
Do the unexpected. As customers, we get blas? - we expect good service as a matter of course. Do something outrageous that will turn your customer into a walking, talking advertisement for you. Like giving all the customers in your restaurant a card instead of the bill on one night per month. The card simply says "Thank you for being our guest tonight. One night a month we treat all our patrons as our guests, and there will be no bill. Please tell your friends that we randomly choose a night where everyone is our guest, and eats for free. We hope you enjoyed your visit, and we'll see you again soon."
If that happened to you, how many people would you tell, 10, 20, 30? And how many of them would visit that restaurant, 50%, 80%? A large percentage, you can bet. We all like surprises, and we all like something for nothing, and we can't resist a gamble! And what has it cost - equivalent to a 3% discount over the course of a month. This technique need not be restricted to restaurants either, any business can adapt it.
Or how about a customer who is a keen golfer. Imagine their delight when, for no reason, a box of golf balls arrives with a note from you saying "Thanks for doing business with us, we appreciate it . . . hope you continue to enjoy your golf." How quickly would the story get around the golf club?
Why not allocate one service team to visit major customer sites on one day per month to carry out a full safety inspection and report on equipment installed there - free of charge and without being asked to do it.
There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.
In his book, ‘Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life’, T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:
*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you
Be creative. Use your imagination to
Signs are very important for a business institution as they form an identity for the organization. Business signboards normally confer details relating to the firm's name, address, and phone number.When people are looking out for a sign relating to business purpose they need to consider some important points. In order to get a unique and appropriate business signboard it is important to highlight the nature of the business. Along with the nature, it is also wise to consider the location, which pertains to the location of the main office and its branches, if any. If the business is located in commercial area, it is advised to have a small business board outside the office. Incase the office is located on the streets then larger signboards can be put up to make it visible to people.Corporate businesses generally get bright colored an
Then the third myth. High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business.
Unless a customer is given very good reasons to return to do business with you again, all the customer satisfaction in the world won't bring them back.
So how do you keep your customers coming back? Assuming your products and services are good value for money, here’s the key. MAKE YOUR CUSTOMER FEEL SPECIAL. Make them feel they are the most important customer you've got. Yes, every one of them - individually.
Do the unexpected. As customers, we get blas? - we expect good service as a matter of course. Do something outrageous that will turn your customer into a walking, talking advertisement for you. Like giving all the customers in your restaurant a card instead of the bill on one night per month. The card simply says "Thank you for being our guest tonight. One night a month we treat all our patrons as our guests, and there will be no bill. Please tell your friends that we randomly choose a night where everyone is our guest, and eats for free. We hope you enjoyed your visit, and we'll see you again soon."
If that happened to you, how many people would you tell, 10, 20, 30? And how many of them would visit that restaurant, 50%, 80%? A large percentage, you can bet. We all like surprises, and we all like something for nothing, and we can't resist a gamble! And what has it cost - equivalent to a 3% discount over the course of a month. This technique need not be restricted to restaurants either, any business can adapt it.
Or how about a customer who is a keen golfer. Imagine their delight when, for no reason, a box of golf balls arrives with a note from you saying "Thanks for doing business with us, we appreciate it . . . hope you continue to enjoy your golf." How quickly would the story get around the golf club?
Why not allocate one service team to visit major customer sites on one day per month to carry out a full safety inspection and report on equipment installed there - free of charge and without being asked to do it.
There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.
In his book, ‘Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life’, T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:
*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you
Be creative. Use your imagination to
Well, you need to know that it is MORE than just ideas.On the surface, finding fundraising ideas is easy. Get together a group of co-workers or co-volunteers into a brainstorming session, and you will likely get a list of ideas ranging from jumble sales to door-to-door selling to a direct mail campaign. Type in "fundraising ideas" into any Internet search engine and you are likely to get thousands of search results, ranging from bake sale ideas to companies offering fundraising opportunitiesThere are a few things that separate a good fundraising idea from a bad one. You should take note of the following when considering each idea:* Cost of getting going should be what you can afford to spend - Make sure that your total cost does not exceed your proceeds!* Use of resources and talents - Do you have the people to do i
If that happened to you, how many people would you tell, 10, 20, 30? And how many of them would visit that restaurant, 50%, 80%? A large percentage, you can bet. We all like surprises, and we all like something for nothing, and we can't resist a gamble! And what has it cost - equivalent to a 3% discount over the course of a month. This technique need not be restricted to restaurants either, any business can adapt it.
Or how about a customer who is a keen golfer. Imagine their delight when, for no reason, a box of golf balls arrives with a note from you saying "Thanks for doing business with us, we appreciate it . . . hope you continue to enjoy your golf." How quickly would the story get around the golf club?
Why not allocate one service team to visit major customer sites on one day per month to carry out a full safety inspection and report on equipment installed there - free of charge and without being asked to do it.
There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.
In his book, ‘Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life’, T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:
*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you
Be creative. Use your imagination to
While it is true the interview is designed both for the recruiter to ask you questions and for you to get answers to your questions, there are 7 things you should never ask or say during an interview.#1 “So what kind of business do you do?”Arrive for the interview fully equipped with information about the company.. Look online and read news articles about the company so you are aware of the most recent happenings. Review the annual report if it is posted on the company's website. Be prepared to ask questions that prove you have done your homework and can be seen as a viable candidate that is interested in the company.#2 “My long-term goal is to be a beach bum.”The question may have been “where do you see yourself in 10 years?” However, the interviewer expects the answer to revolve around the company. Even if yo
There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.
In his book, ‘Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life’, T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:
*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you
Be creative. Use your imagination to think up ways to incorporate high impact experiences for your customers. Here are some idea starters:
Entertain your customers. Especially while they are waiting. If you absolutely cannot eliminate waiting, have coffee or soft drinks available; send someone to chat to them about things they like and don't like about doing business with your company - it's amazing how much you can learn by just asking.
Apologise for even the smallest mistake. When in doubt, apologise; make amends far in excess of the slip-up; authorise your employees to solve problems and compensate customers for inconveniences.
Ask your customers' opinion. Learn to listen effectively and actively seek information from customers - you'll be amazed how many good ideas they'll give you.
Know your customer by name. And use it. Everyone likes to be called by name, and those who use customers’ names are remembered. Ever been paying for a purchase with a credit card and the salesperson has used your name from the card? Using names makes people feel good.
Invite your customer to play. (And know when they're not in the mood). Give your customer fun at unexpected moments. As customers line up at the drive-up window at Gross's fast food restaurant, staff start washing windscreens and having a joke with the customers - and they keep coming back.
Companies who create outrageous service are remembered - and more importantly, talked about. Not only is word-of-mouth advertising the best form, it is very cost effective, and very easy to do, and it keeps customers coming back. All it takes is some imagination - and the courage to be different.
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