This article is by Geoff Langston from Arizion, a customer-facing training expert with over 30 years experience. For further tips and hints see www.arizion.co.uk
What’s unique about you?
Have you ever considered what your unique selling point (USP) is, what makes you stand out from the crowd? Whatever your chosen sector, there will inevitably be a whole load of competition, both on the high street, and probably on the internet.
Do you make your customers feel special?
An area it is worth considering now, at the start of your journey, is how special and unique you make your customers feel, right from day one. Customers are only going to refer you to colleagues and potential new customers if they have received excellent service from you. Here are three top tips for how you can stand out from all your competitors by really looking after your customers.
Tip One – When you have formed a relationship with your first clients, keep in touch with them
Think about any customers you have lost touch with. Simply re-contact a number of former clients and you will be amazed at the amount of business that can be generated by this apparently straightforward process. Reasons to call might be an article you have seen that relates to their business and might be of interest to them, or perhaps a personal hobby of theirs. It might just be a regular phone call to say hi – you might be surprised how many people will say “I’m pleased you called, can you…?”.
Tip Two – Just say thanks
Another personal touch when you have a new client is to drop them a line when you receive payment of your invoice to say thank you, and that you look forward to working with them again in the future. Again, the personal touch makes all the difference, and I would suggest that you would be one of the few suppliers who do this – who is the customer more likely to remember when they want to use a supplier again?
Tip Three – Imagine…
The final tip is to be a customer on a regular basis. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and look through your customer’s eyes. You are likely to see things very differently. Look at a potential client’s business in detail and get a good understanding of it, then ask yourself what you would be looking for in a supplier if you were them?
So, ask yourself – how could you make your customers feel special?
If you need any help with this, please get in touch. linda@thesmartcoachingcompany.com Tweet