Do you wonder if your customers love you? I mean do they really love you? Would they do anything for you? Ask yourself this, do you love your customers? I mean truly love your customers.
Love is a two way street (I should write a song). You can do all the loving you want, but it is more special when you are loved in return. In any relationship there’s a honeymoon period when all is new and hunky dory … and then when the relationship settles down you truly get to know one another and if it is ‘proper’ love you learn how to take the rough with the smooth.
It really is the same in business. Your customers and of course everyone involved within your business has to feel loved and a part of the business relationship. If the love only flows one way the relationship will be doomed.
Now occasionally things do go wrong in business, and we make a mistake which can affect our customers, because none of us are perfect. However if you ignore the affect you have had on your customers it can be at your peril. Most of us will forgive a company because we have a relationship with them that has been built up over some time, but how we are treated over things that go wrong can have a huge impact on how we view the relationship moving forwards.
Here’s what happens when you ‘love’ me
I bought a book of stamps once and when I came to use them there weren’t any stamps in the book. I thought I had no chance of getting them replaced, as there was no way of proving I hadn’t used them, but went into the shop to bring the matter to their attention in case there was a faulty batch. I was blown away when my book of stamps was replaced without hesitation.
If you really want your customers to love your business, you have to love them in return, and it’s the little things that count.
Here’s what happens when you treat me like I don’t matter
I spend approximately £60 a week on fuel in my local petrol station (I spend over £3000 a year on fuel!) I go to my local petrol station although I could quite easily get supermarket petrol cheaper, because I want to support a local business.
Last week I popped by to use the cash machine. I wanted some change for car parking in town so I went inside with my notes and asked for change. The cashier informed me that she could only provide change for customers of the petrol station. “What on earth was I?” I thought?
This one sentence could have me falling out of love with my petrol station, because they don’t seem to be reciprocating the love I give them, over petty little differences. Throwing needless obstacles in the way can be detrimental to a relationship, especially when I put so much into ours. Is it worth breaking up over petty little differences? No, but it might make me think twice about what happens the next time it comes to filling up my car. What would it have cost the cashier to do a ‘no sale’ and open up the till?
All the goodwill and love you have given your customers can be quickly undone with an uncessary remark. I always ask people how they would they if this happened to them.
