One of the things that really bugs me, is when our suppliers refer to us as an “account”, or worse, forget our name.
Maybe we take the whole customer focus thing a little too seriously, but we’d never refer to our customers as accounts. We’re not an account. We’re a customer. There’s a difference. Right?
When you talk to your customers, remember they’re much more than a source of income to help you hit some-budget-that’s-slightly-bigger-than-last-years-one.
Customers have needs and wants and if there’s one thing they do want… it’s to be valued. Why do customers like to feel valued? Because we all have a choice about where we spend our money and we like to think it’s going to someone who appreciates we’re choosing them.
Here’s a few simple tips to help you value your customers:
- When you send letters or emails, address them personally — “Dear Simon,” not “Dear Retailer”, nor “Hi there”.
- When you attend meetings make sure you can remember the name of your customer (btw we’re not GameWizz, GameBizz, nor Gamesplanet!)
- Put yourself in your customers shoes and consider how they would view you and your services.
- Put customers before profits. “Customer Lifetime Values” are meaningless when your customer walks.
- Treat your customers as you would like to be treated (sounds very familiar huh?)
IMHO every company should be practising all of these points. They’re very easy to do and they’re free.
I’m constantly amazed at just how many businesses focus on the bottom line first. If you put customers first, then the bottom line will take care of itself. If you put the bottom line first, then your customers will take care of themselves.
Value your customers and you’ll never be left wondering… “What’s gone wrong with this account?”
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