Customers singing your praises is the kind of word of mouth advertising that is priceless. It's also the kind that you can't buy. You could pay customers to say nice things about your business but, besides being morally and ethically questionable, it's still not to ring as true as the testimonials from customers who are genuinely so impressed by your business that they are moved to tell others.
In the last two days, I have sung the praises of two different businesses, my dentist and the company that installed our hardwood floors. Obviously, these are completely different types of businesses and on the surface they have nothing in common. Digging deeper, I realized that they have a lot in common when it comes to how they do business and how they treat their customers. And these are the very things that made me want to recommend them to everyone I know. Keep reading for some tips on how to make your customers sing your praises, too.
- Treat everyone with respect. You can't judge a book by its cover and you shouldn't make snap judgments about potential customers based on outward appearance either. Show everyone respect and be courteous. Take time to listen and to understand what brought them in. They may not buy today, but if you created a positive experience they will likely be back. It took us 10 months to pick out a new floor and schedule installation. Our sales rep was always kind, understanding and never pushy. I'm sure at some point she began to think that we weren't ever going to purchase anything but she never showed it. If I had become uncomfortable because I thought she was annoyed by our indecision I wouldn't have kept coming back. I would have picked a different retailer just to avoid feeling embarrassed.
- Listen. Often we jump ahead and start formulating our answer before someone has even finished asking the question. This can be a really bad habit because you can easily miss pertinent details when you're only half listening to someone. You'll always be better able to meet someone's needs when you have listened carefully and fully understand what they are asking for. My dentist never looks over my chart while talking to me. He talks to me and then says "let me check your chart before I answer that." That tells me he wants to focus on what I'm saying before he looks at x-rays, or anything else. He doesn't want to be distracted by his thoughts while I'm still sharing my concerns with him.
- Make your final interaction a positive one. We often talk how critical it is to make a good first impression. Last impressions are equally as important. The last interaction a customer has with you is the one that they will remember best. My dentist sends me out the door with a warm chocolate chip cookie. No matter how my checkup went, I always leave happy because I have a delicious cookie in my hand. The sales rep from the flooring company called me two days after our floors were installed to make sure that everything went well and that we were very happy with our new floors. After a full day of being trapped in the kitchen with a full grown golden retriever who was antsy because there were men tearing up our floor I wasn't in the best mood. When I got the sales rep's call a few days later checking in, that replaced any lingering discontent I had with a positive interaction. Of course, the fact that our new floor is gorgeous doesn't hurt either.
- Deliver what you promise and provide good support after the sale. Tips 1-3 won't do you a bit of good if you don't back them up with good products and services and excellent customer service after the sale. After all that's what your customers want most.
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