Have you ever had a request from a customer that was just completely ridiculous? Did you do it anyway?
The only thing that makes any request ridiculous is our perception of the request. If you run an ice cream food truck and someone comes up looking for coffee…you might think that’s ridiculous. For whatever reason, that lost customer didn’t think it was ridiculous… hhmmm. So adding a coffee pot, that’s pretty simple. Adding an espresso machine, not so simple.
Since our job is to solve problems for other people, it stands to reason that the more problems we can solve the more customers we will have. Now, we have to balance cost/benefit for sure, but the more times you say YES, the more happy customers you create…and the more happy customers you create, the better your bottom line will be.
Don’t get hung up on “that’s not what we do here, man” kind of thinking. Make your business about solving problems rather than ___. And if that scares you, good! Real growth only occurs outside your comfort zone! So get out there, say yes, and enjoy the benefits!
When was the last time you experienced bad customer service?
See how easy it was to remember that time? I recently read some stats that said 1 in 3 BAD customer experiences get shared with friends and/or social media but only 1 in 14 GOOD experiences. So it stands to reason that we have to create many more positive experiences to get the same “credit” from our customers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQedV5WcdIQ
Piggybacking on yesterday’s topic, it’s the little things, done over and over, day after day, that create positive customer experiences. You might buy hundreds of things off eBay…then you get that one thing that doesn’t live up to its pictures…
And tying in the concept that you can really only have one priority at a time, the only real, long-term priority any business can have is making customers happy! Because without customers, there’s no need for anything else, right?
When everyone on the team is focused on how they can serve the customer, how THEY can solve problems for other people…that’s when it all just works. Now, YOU as the business owner/leader owe the team something as well…but we’ll save that for another day! (Be sure to like & follow if you don’t want to miss the answer!)
when everybody takes care of the customer every day, it just works. focus on your customer and everything else works out.
When you are running a business, it’s easy to slip into a way of thinking that your customers should be happy…just, well, because they are your customer. “I mean, they wouldn’t be my customer if they didn’t like my product, right?” Well, not necessarily.
Customer satisfaction is not a thing or a department… it is something everybody does every day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybrhngJrcU
So how do you make customers happy? Solve their problems! Bonus points if you can make them feel special as you do it!
If you can find a way to set your own pride and need for confirmation aside and put instead put your customer first…you will win!
It’s a saying you hear all the time…at least I do…and it makes my skin crawl!
All week we’ve been talking about how to get stuff done and be more EFFECTIVE if your pursuits so you have the time to enjoy the benefits of being an entrepreneur. But even entrepreneurs say this all the time…and it’s all I can do to maintain my composure and not fly off the handle with them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8rXrwjkMYE
The truth of the matter is that your time is the most expensive resource you have available to spend and discounting or being dismissive of it’s value hurts you in the long run. Be SUPER PROTECTIVE of your time! Don’t waste it and don’t let anyone else waste it either! Don’t be afraid to interrupt an unproductive meeting, ask to adjourn until everyone is prepared! I GUARANTEE next time everyone will come prepared!
Do you ever feel like your business, or maybe your life, are out of your control? You know, it’s more like they are happening TO you rather than FOR you? Then this post is for you!
I know I’ve definitely felt this way from time to time and for me it feels like I’m in a western, riding on the run-away stagecoach. The team is barreling ahead at full gallop and the reins are no where to be found! I’m just holding on trying to keep from being thrown from the wagon to what would surely be my death on the rocky ground below.
Maybe the visualization is different for you but chances are pretty good that you’ve felt this way too. So whom do you hold accountable for this situation? Yourself or someone else? (stick with me here…)
I choose to hold myself responsible…here’s why.
If you blame someone else for your circumstances then you must accept that you are equally dependent upon them for any good circumstances that may come along or for rescuing you from your present funk.
On the other hand, if YOU accept responsibility for where you are, you can now take steps to CHANGE where you are! YOU can…you are in control just by making one simple change.
So the next time you catch yourself pining for better times, take these steps:
1) Get really clear on the outcome you are pursuing. Be able to speak it out loud anytime you’re asked what you do. This needs to become your guidestone, the point that you are always trying to get to, because, when you have this in place, all the other decisions in your business or life become much easier to make!
2) What is the one thing you need to do today to get back on track? Don’t over-think this. The great news is you don’t have to go all the way back to the beginning to get back on course, you just have to make a turn toward the outcome from where you are today! Figure this out before you do anything else, then do ‘the thing’ right away! Now, speaking of going back to the beginning…
3) Step back through your decision making to find the pivotal decision that led you here. The goal here is to recognize the decision so if it appears again, you can make a better one. Don’t spend time trying to justify it or blame someone else for it. It’s kind of like making a wrong turn on a trip. We’re not looking to blame, find fault or justification…we just don’t want to make it again.
If you could use help with any of these steps or you’re interested in helping your whole company find their alignment toward your guidestone, I’d love to help. I’d be happy to have a no-cost, no-obligation chat to see if we are a good fit to work together. Follow the link in my profile or call right now! 844-234-8466
