How to Keep Your Customers Happy

Whether you already have an online or offline business or are about to begin one, the key to your success is to have cusomers! Happy, satisfied customers are your key to success in any business. Many businesses spend a forturne to acquire a customer, but then, through attrition, lose that customer. I will show you how to never have that happen to you!

What is attrition?

According to the dictionary, attrition is a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength: "Our club has had a high rate of attrition because so many members have moved away." You do not want your customers to decrease in size(number of customers) or strength(the amount of money they are spending with you!)How can you keep this from happening? It is really very simple. Give great customer service! But how, you say, do I do that?

Go the Extra Mile

A very popular "success" book is Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill. Think and Grow Rich was first published in 1937 after twenty years of research and it continues to periodically hit the best sellers list even today, over seventy years later. That alone tells us that this is an unusually important book. In the book, Hill presents proven success principles shared and used by hundreds of history's greatest achievers. A main principle is the idea of going the extra mile.

The Furniture Story

Mr. Hill once related a marvelous story about a little old lady entering a furniture store on a rainy day. Quickly judged by all the sales people on the floor as a non prospect just someone escaping the rain but one dumb, wet-behind-the ears rookie salesman went out of his way to be courteous and helpful to the lady. Of course he failed to make a sale and was the brunt of much kidding by the seasoned old pros.

Not long after the incident billionaire Andrew Carnegie contacted the store and insisted that this particular salesman be sent to Scotland to take orders for new furnishings for the Carnegie family castle. The little old lady had been Carnegie's mother. By going the extra mile and extending true customer service diplomacy even to a non customer this salesman became an overnight superstar.

You may say that such a miracle is not all that likely to occur in your place of business. However, the habit of going the extra mile does seem to pay off in some way more often than not. It is soundly based on universal laws and concepts of success including the familiar do unto others as you would have them do unto you as quoted in the Bible.

Some Examples

Here are a few examples that can be used for offline businesses. They can also get you to think how you can apply them to an online business as well: - Making sure callers do not remain on hold or ignored. - Offering waiting customer's coffee or juice. - Answering questions patiently and thoughtfully. Standing up to greet customers when they enter your office or place of business. - Helping the customer get through to the proper person. - Saying thank you. - Acquiring extra knowledge that may be helpful to customers. You must try to think like your customer. Put yourself in their shoes.

Pack and Ship Nightmare

The past few Christmases I had been doing all of shopping online. Overall, I and my gift receipiants were pretty happy. So, I got out of the habit of Christmas shopping. But this Christmas, I found great gifts for my far away family at a local retail store. They came in an odd shaped box, but I figured it would be no problem to repackage them and ship them. Wrong! I went to a popular "Pack and Ship" place (I will not name them, but their employees wear brown uniforms!) and the price was outrageous! Almost more than the gift itelf. Now I'm doing pretty well financially, but part of the reason for that is that I am economical. At those prices, I could pack them up myself and take them to the Post Office.

A Better Idea

I got to thinking that maybe my friend "Steve" at the Post Office could give me a tip or a way to pack my packages that would be fast and cheap. And sure enough, he did! Steve told me he could just tape up the boxes and put a label! In 5 minutes, they were packed and on the way, and at a much cheaper price, thanks to my friend Steve going the extra mile for me.

Or I could give you an example of my insurance agent. I came in from out of town on New Years Eve and found a pipe had burst and water was everywhere in my home. I called "Terry" my insurance agent and within a few minutes, he had gotten a crew to come out, dry up all the water on the carpets, and pack up clothes and linens that had been damaged to be dry cleaned. He also arranged for a company to repair the damage to my house.

Eliminate the Hoops

In the examples above of Steve and Terry, I as a customer did not have to jump through endless "hoops" to get what I needed. They "jumped through" the hoops for me! Now since Steve works for the Post Office, I'm not sure how going the extra mile will financially benefit him. But if he ever starts his own business, I will be one of his first customers-no matter what kind of business it is! And the insurance agent Terry? Well, he carries ALL my insurance, and he does not have to worry about competition from anyone! And yes, I frequently tell people about what he did for me that New Years Eve. I have become an "enthusiastic evangalist" for him and his agency.

Develop your Own Evangalists

To continue to grow your business, you need to develop your own "enthusiastic evangalists!" Customers that are so excited and thrilled about how well you treated them, they tell everyone about you. That is absolutely the best form of advertising you can generate. And it is free-if you just provide excellent customer service and go the extra mile!