We Don’t Care What Dress the Customer Wants

Posted by Dawn Baird, Partner on Mar 2, 2009 in business, customer service, marketing | 2 comments

This week, I was contacted by someone looking for training in sales and customer service.  She told me I was the first supplier of training to mention the ‘tailoring’. Everyone else she had made enquiries with had told her she’d be getting a standard course, with no effort to match up with what they particularly needed.

Imagine a bride walking into a bridal gown boutique to be told that there’d be nothing there to fit her?  (She I walked out.)  Why wouldn’t the assistant search the earth, to help find me the dress?  And, then get it tailored to fit?  Bridal boutiques aren’t selling dresses.  They’re selling insults glamour.  Unfortunately, many brides tell the same hurt tale.  And, they aren’t going to make an expensive purchase after being harangued for not being the perfect size ten.  They’re going to cross the road.

Is this symptomatic of NI businesses?  I’ve heard it so often.  People challenge me to tell them how my business is different.  It takes some doing.

I’m a little skeptical of training organisations myself, who say they tailor, then don’t, so I immediately go on to explain what I mean by ‘tailoring’.  I say we don’t do off-the-shelf training. We start with the customers requirements (as told by them) and work from there.  Sure, we have experience and material, activities, props and events we use for many of our events, but we never deliver the same workshop twice.  Done enough of that when working for other people (twice a day, five days a week, for five months running once), who placed ridiculous restraints on what I could and couldn’t do and say.

So, why sell your product at all?  If it doesn’t meet the customers needs, what’s the point?

For example, in a recent workshop, I got bombarded with situation after situation, from the attendees.  They put me through my paces.  They wanted working examples.  They wanted real-life scenarios dealt with.  They wanted something that made a real difference.

Here’s my customer service checklist:

1. What is the customer’s first impression? When the customer rings, do they get attitude from your receptionist?  Make this a point of training, or get rid.
2. What tone does your email take?  Curt, corporate?  Or connected? If you brush off the customer, they will go elsewhere and they’ll let around ten people know of their bad experience.
3. Are people coming to you because they’ve been recommended by others? If the majority of your referrals do not come through word-of-mouth marketing, then you’re doing something wrong.  You shouldn’t need to take out massively expensive advertisements in the local business magazines or websites.  Your customers should do the viral marketing for you.
4. It’s a tough one, but, does your business image get reflected in the delivery of goods? Does your marketing manager’s attitude ‘match’ that of your training team?  Or, does something clang?  There are some things that I’m not quite happy with, but I’m determined to solve them one by one.  Like it or lump it won’t do.
5. If someone rings to complain, can they ‘feel’ the heckles clacking into place? Take it on the chin, apologise, make restitution (customers like restitution in kind), and move on (only, better).  All the better if you solve the problem quickly.  Your customer will tell (about 4) others of their good experience and keep coming back.  (Solving problems quickly is very important to the customer, especially if she’s a bride!)
6. When the goods are delivered, are your customers asking what else you do? I love it when this happens?  Recently, my workshop was so well-received, I had to prise myself away, as it was getting near tea-time!  What did I do that was so fantastic?  Apparently, I responded to new requests on my feet, and steered the workshop in a slightly different way than announced.  Great situation to be in.  We’re doing more work together.
7. How are customers spoken of in your workplace? Wouldn’t it be better if they all just went away?  Yes, and so would your income!  Encourage an atmosphere of integrity and surpassing expectations.  You’ll have them hammering the door down.
8. Are your staff the problem, or are you? Listen to them too!  Surround yourself with assertive, enthusiastic, hard-working, creative people.  Let them take the lead on things.  Trust their judgement.  They might have something important to contribute.

If you’re not doing all of the above, you’re gonna be selling burgers soon.  And, if you’re a passionate, quality, customer-focused, delicious burger-seller, then you should be doing the above anyway!  (And, I’d love to know where your stand is!)

Image credit: Glass maps.