Treat Customers the Way You Should Treat Your Loved Ones

In a way, your customers are like your family; without their loyalty and trust, the road ahead for your business would be rocky indeed. That is why you should treat customers the way you would treat your mother and father, spouse and children, an other loved ones to be treated.

Many organisations designate certain customers as VIPs, a status that entitles them to special perks and attention. I would not agree to this. To me VIP means otherwise. It means "very individual person". Just like every one in the family has his or her unique personality, so is each of your customers, with individual wants and needs.

In a way, all the Customer Rule involve making your clientele feel like "the world" by treating them the way you want your loved ones treated. So here lets focus on 2 specific parts of the customer experience, the beginning and the end. I learned how crucial those 2 moments are from my mother, who once told me how she loved being appreciated and treated well from she first walked an then leave this specific boutique. It makes sense that first and the last impressions have a tremendous influence on a customer's lasting impression.

So I highly encourage people in all business, not just stores or hotels or restaurants, but any outfit - whether it's a law firm or a financial service provider or a corporate headquarters - to place a friendly, outgoing employee at or near the entrance. Don't keep customers waiting; in this high-speed era they want to be served quickly. It has also proven that when an employee looks customers in the eye and speaks to them, shoplifting goes down dramatically, especially in retail outlets. That alone might cover the cost of having an employee at the door.

And don't forget to conclude the interaction in a way that encourages a return visit. Whether or not your customer or client made a purchase, or closed a deal, or signed on the dotted line, make sure to walk him to the door and thank him for coming. Show that you are grateful that he or she stopped by and let he or she know that you hope he or she will return again and again.