Treating Your Customers Right

You have your Facebook and Twitter pages set up for your business. Your website is designed beautifully. You are blogging and sending out newsletters.  You have an amazing store, product, service, etc.  Your prices are right.  You get people in the door…but they don’t always come back. 

What could be wrong? Sure the economy is down but there should be a few more repeat customers. Maybe you need to ask yourself how you treat your customers once they walk through the door? The stress of life can get to all of us. However, if we are in an industry where we are dealing with customers, we need to make sure we don’t take it out on them. 

I had a friend who went to a service-based company.  She was essentially held hostage during her treatment while the service-provider ranted about her life. For two hours. She has never returned to that business.  It is unfortunate because that person was very good at the service she provided. 

Although the customer is not always “right,” they should be made to feel welcome in your store.  They are there to have a lovely dinner, buy a product, get a massage, etc.  There are many other places in which they could be spending their money, so why not provide them with an atmosphere to which they would love to return (and recommend to their friends)?

You may be providing a product or service, but don’t forget that you (and/or your employees) are also part of the package. A smile and a kind word go a long way!

Tell us about some of your favorite experiences with customers or vendors.  I bet we hear more positive stories than negative!

alison

Alison has worked with clients of all sizes, from sole proprietors to television networks and financial institutions, including HBO, CBS, Showtime, Charles Schwab, and The Body Shop. In her career at DoubleClick, Google, and Infogroup, she learned social media, email marketing, SEO, and web design from the people inventing the standards. She makes a mean flourless chocolate cake.